Kojima Leaving Konami After MGS5?

[Tom Bombadildo]

Any fan of the Metal Gear Solid series knows Hideo Kojima. He's the brains behind the whole series, and has been consistently making excellent MGS games since their inception. And now, it appears, Kojima will be leaving Konami once MGS5 is released. An "inside source" claims that these are due to a power struggle between the MGS team and Konami.
This source appears to be legitimate, as the Kojima Productions logos are slowly being removed from any MGS art.

"After we finish MGSV, Mr. Kojima and upper management will leave Konami. They said their contract ends in December," the source claimed.
The person added: "At a team meeting, Mr Kojima explained that team have to be one and make a good game for fans."
Kojima, now 51, joined Konami in 1986. His departure from the company will bring an end to nearly three decades of service.

Source

 

[ShadowOne333]

Another big one that leaves.

Shinji Mikami, Keiji Inafune and now Hideo Kojima.
Can you see the pattern here?

 

[stanleyopar2000]

welp, Del Toro isn't going to work with anyone else so considered Silent Hills cancelled. Daryl Dixon lives another day

and yes, I do notice a trend. The great minds that founded these companies and made them who they are today are being underappreciated and will be the result of their demise. Capcom is feeling the heat as we speak

 

[ShadowOne333]

The Great Ones are abandoning the big companies because they feel they over-push them with bullshit instead of what they have in mind.
They seek their own vision, which is what made their games so great in the first place.

I say Mikami, Inafune and Kojima all seek a better place in which they are not being overwhelmed nor nagged because the company only wants a quick buck.
They want quality and innovative titles, not your everyday cliche bullshit.

Godspeed, Kojima, and same for you Mikami and Inafune.

 

[GamerzHell9137]

Ohhhh~ Konami's dead now.

 

[ShadowOne333]

Ohhhh~ Konami's dead now.

No Team Silent, no Kojima.

NO KONAMI!

 

[T-hug]

So the next metal gear after TPP will be shit, got it!

 

[CathyRina]

I don't believe that the next MGS game after TPP will be shit.
Kojima directed games have an average of 92 on metacritic and those that are not (MGSO, MGS:TS & MGR) an average of 80.
80 is still good enough. I would be bothered more if these games were sub 50 but they aren't.
But the next Metal Gear will be most likely a reboot anyway so it would be a great opportunity to let go of some of the BS that is bothering the franchise.

 

[_v3]

There has been something brewing on the internet about this (it all started with Kojima's name being removed from each game pic and any mention of him from the website). I think Konami officialy debunked it and passed it off as a rumor.

 

[CathyRina]

There has been something brewing on the internet about this (it all started with Kojima's name being removed from each game pic and any mention of him from the website). I think Konami officialy debunked it and passed it off as a rumor.

they didn't

Spoiler

 

[_v3]

they didn't

Spoiler

I said I think, not everything on the internet is true. If Kojima's really leaving, well then that saddens me.

 

[2Hack]

Well that sucks. Really like Kojima personally. He's an awesome character, and would love to see him continue working on different projects if that is possible.Wonder if this is why, despite Hideo wanting snake to participate, he didn't make it to SSB4.

Gonna miss the Hideo touch on the MGS series, and I will obv be more cautions going into newer titles in the series.

 

[kristianity77]

I really hope this doesn't cancel PT / Silent Hills. Sod MGS, never been my cup of tea but was looking forward to Silent Hills.

 

[codezer0]

I don't believe it. I'm calling his bluff right now.

There's been articles proving he's been saying the same thing since MGS2... but because everyone still hates Raiden, his ego can't tolerate it. So he's been making game after game hoping people would like his little pretty boy over Snake. Not even changing VA's has helped.

Kojima's ego will have him front and center with the next Metal Gear project. I guarantee it.

 

[2Hack]

I don't believe it. I'm calling his bluff right now.

There's been articles proving he's been saying the same thing since MGS2... but because everyone still hates Raiden, his ego can't tolerate it. So he's been making game after game hoping people would like his little pretty boy over Snake. Not even changing VA's has helped.

Kojima's ego will have him front and center with the next Metal Gear project. I guarantee it.

I like raiden :3

 

[CathyRina]

Me too especially after MGS4 and MGR.

 

[zoogie]

welp, Del Toro isn't going to work with anyone else so considered Silent Hills cancelled. Daryl Dixon lives another day

and yes, I do notice a trend. The great minds that founded these companies and made them who they are today are being underappreciated and will be the result of their demise. Capcom is feeling the heat as we speak

The 'big guns' of yesterday are being replaced because game studios can't afford AAA unlimited budget development like they used to -- cause those games aren't selling like they used to (on average though, GTA is always money). Thank your new mobile gods for that.

 

[sarkwalvein]

Ohhhh~ Konami's dead now.

But... but... Igarashi, Igarashi is still there isn't him?... wait... he left already?... Yep, KONAMI is pretty much dead.

 

[Hyro-Sama]

He's obviously jumping ship to Nintendo. Y'know, since they're so hot right now. Wii U sales couldn't be any higher.

 

[Walker D]

Was reading about it at GAF sometime ago...

A fallout between Kojima Productions and its owning publisher, Konami, has led to senior staff at the studio being restricted access to corporate internet, emails, and phone, GameSpot understands.

Along with the restricted communications, key developers at the studio, such as Hideo Kojima, will now have limited opportunities to lend their appearance to promotions of the studio’s upcoming game, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. Power struggles between Kojima Productions and Konami have led the publisher to make drastic changes, including the employee status of its Metal Gear team. Some senior staff at the studio, including Kojima, now essentially work as contractors, not permanent employees.

The branding changes appear to relate to a restructure at Konami, announced earlier this month, to what the company calls "a headquarters-controlled system".

The idea seems to be that Konami should be front and centre of all branding and production efforts, not individual studios such as Kojima's Kojima Productions. This, in part, would explain the removal of "A Hideo Kojima game" tagline, used in all Metal Gear Solid games up to this point.

And it looks like the Kojima Productions LA studio, set up in September 2013 assist Kojima Productions with Metal Gear development, has been renamed Konami Los Angeles Studio.

The Kojima Productions LA studio appears to have been renamed to Konami Los Angeles Studio.
Konami issued Eurogamer a follow-up statement on the changes:
"As we have already announced, we are shifting our production structure to a headquarters-controlled system, in order to establish a steadfast operating base capable of responding to the rapid market changes that surround our digital entertainment business."

I've no idea why Konami decided that it should fuck things up that bad for themselves :s