I was going to bring up the Ryckert situation, as it's pretty relevant. The difference is that Ryckert didn't review the game. Despite Ryckert not reviewing the game, the fact that a Game Informer editor was scanned into the game raised concerns and questions.
This situation here is what would have happened if, instead of Ryckert, Andy McNamara did it. As the Editor-in-Chief, McNamara's involvement in the game— no matter how slight or allegedly insignificant— would have understandably raised serious conflict of interest questions.
And that scenario is what's playing out with Keighley. Like in the hypothetical above, Keighley is like McNamara in that he's the head honcho— the guy in charge of everything. His enthusiasm for Death Stranding, his subsequent inclusion in the game, and his relationship with Kojima all look really bad in light of his leadership role with the awards show in question.