Earlier this year it was revealed that, after 29 years spent building one of the greatest legacies in gaming, esteemed developer Hideo Kojima was to leave Konami, a publisher that has been transformed by the barnstorming success of Metal Gear Solid.
However, the imminent departure of Kojima hasn’t been smooth sailing, and during The Game Awards 2015 it was revealed by host Geoff Keighley that Konami had actively prevented its former employee from attending the ceremony, where he was to collect a gong for The Phantom Pain winning the year’s best action-adventure title.
Fast forward to today and Square Enix ex-president Yoichi Wada has weighed in on the controversy, claiming that Konami’s purported mistreatment of Hideo Kojima is “negative for business.”
“As I know Mr. Kojima, I want to say, I can’t believe this cruel treatment, reads the post. “But, here I’m going to give my thoughts as a corporate exec. However you think about this, this is a negative for business… but going out of your way to make enemies with the world has no meaning. Generally, this kind of thing happens when there’s a lack of leadership,” he continued. “I think, perhaps, there isn’t someone in charge who is paying attention and laying out all the little details for whole enterprise.”
Hideo Kojima reportedly left Konami on October 9, though the publisher claimed that the former Game Director had been on an extended holiday. It’s unclear what exactly is going on behind the scenes, but we do know that Kojima’s contract expires at the end of 2015, and it’s unlikely that he’ll be a part of the company after that point.
Published: Dec 10, 2015 03:00 pm