One of the most fascinating and often controversial stories from the gaming industry over the past year has concerned Hideo Kojima’s fallout with Konami. After being removed from marketing materials for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, having his team dissolved and the shameful cancellation of Silent Hills, it looked for all intents and purposes that the special relationship was finally over.
However, according to a report from Tokyo Sports, Kojima is still very much a Konami employee who is currently recuperating from production burnout. Hm.
“Currently, Kojima is a listed as a company employee [at Konami],” said a spokesperson for the company.
“Currently, Kojima and the development team are finished developing Metal Gear Solid V and are taking a long time off from work.”
“Because the development time for console games is so long and fatigues builds up, it’s common for employees to take extended periods of time of when development is finished.”
This story really just sums up Konami as a company and how awful they are when it comes to PR. If Kojima’s absence from the spotlight really is just a vacation, why didn’t they come out months ago and confirm it? They’ve allowed a wave of resentment to build up towards their brand, a hashtag that says everything you could about the company and the feeling that they are on the way out, all because they wouldn’t release a statement.
According to reports, Kojima’s contract with Konami actually runs out in December, so we could actually just be looking at an extended break to help while away the time until he’s the most sought after free agent in video game production. Whatever the case may be, hopefully Kojima’s next move is something that allows him the creative freedom he needs and somewhere where he can make some hills go all quiet.
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