Kojima quits? Konami responds, strips KojiPro brand from Metal Gear Solid 5 marketing

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By Stephany Nunneley -VG247

Rumors this morning started circulating that Hideo Kojima had left Konami after the firm released a new executive appointment form which no longer listed Kojima as Executive Content Officer. The rumors compounded when a new Metal Gear Solid 5 Twitter account and website were announced.



We contacted Konami for comment on the changes and held off reporting anything on the matter until a representative got back with us; in the interim, a statement was provided to Videogamer:

“Konami Digital Entertainment, including Mr. Kojima, will continue to develop and support Metal Gear products. Please look forward to future announcements.”

A vague comment with little no information to be sure, but NeoGAF – which were the first to provide the information – dug up more oddities pertaining to the the current status of Konami and Kojima



For instance: the Kojima Pro Twitter account is asking all followers to switch to the new, a dedicated Metal Gear Solid 5 Twitter account.

NeoGAF also noticed the Splash Page for Metal Gear Solid 5 no longer lists the “A Hideo Kojima Game” subtitles. The same can be said for the Legacy Collection and Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes.

There’s more: Kojima’s website, KojiPro now redirects to a new Metal Gear Solid portal and links to Kojima’s Twitter account no longer appear on the website.

The Kojima Productions LA website now redirects to the main Konami website, and jobs which were listed on the Kojima Pro website are now posted for Konami Los Angeles Studio – which appears to be KojiPro’s new moniker.

Earlier this month, Kojima said with the release of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain he would “finally close the loop” on the saga.

“With Metal Gear Solid 5, I’m finally closing the loop on that saga,” he said. “In that sense, this will be the final Metal Gear Solid.

“Even if the Metal Gear franchise continues, to me, this is the last Metal Gear.”

His comments seem to have been a foreshadowing of today’s events. The executive appointments released by Konami will go into effect on April 1, which marks the beginning of the government’s fiscal year.

Many corporations follow suit and many new employees start their jobs on this day. Konami’s 2015 fiscal year ends on March 31.

MGS 5: The Phantom Pain is set for release on September 1 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

We will keep you up to date on the situation as more information becomes available.

 

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UPDATE: An anonymous source has told Gamespot that Kojima Productions and its owner/publisher, Konami, have suffered some kind of falling out, and that senior staff at the studio have had their access to corporate communications, internet, and telephone restricted. Limits have also been placed on how they will be allowed to promote the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. The changes leave Kojima and other members of the studio effectively working as contractors rather than Konami employees, and it's now expected that once MGS5 is completed, the studio will disband.

In a statement sent to IGN, however, Konami indicated that Kojima is not leaving. "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," a representative said. "Konami Digital Entertainment (including Mr. Kojima), will continue to develop and support Metal Gear products. Please look forward to future announcements."

It's well-known that Kojima has mused about walking away from Konami and Metal Gear Solid in the past, leading to suggestions that this latest outburst is more of the same: Another "bluff" that ultimately won't lead to anything. Over at GamesRadar+, however, Dan Dawkins argues that this could actually be the end—and that it might not be a bad thing.

"'This is good, isn't it?' says Big Boss, chewing on a final cigar, in his final words. What is good? The cigar? The game – which at the time we thought might be Kojima's last? The final moments with his son? It hardly matters, but in the fading of an icon, Kojima brings us away from the pompous complexity of the series', and into a beautiful human moment – and in walking away from MGSV, we could expect a very human reaction to his departure. A point of reflection, allowing us to consider all that we have lost," he wrote.

"How would Kojima spend his time if he only had one year left? 'Right now I'm making MGSV. I would do just about anything to keep on making the project, I'd sell body parts, whatever I had to do. But if I only had one year left, I think my answer would be different. I think I'd like to stop exploring games and maybe make a movie, or write a book. I would also like to go into space. You know, things like that.'"

 

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Kojima and Konami release joint statement on the future of Metal Gear
Andy Chalk-PCGamer
Konami and Hideo Kojima have released a joint statement confirming that more Metal Gear games are on the way, and implying, very strongly, that Kojima won't be involved in their creation.

The statement in full:

"Thank you for your continued patronage of Konami products and services.

The latest title in the Metal Gear series, "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" (below, "MGSV: TPP"), will be released as planned starting on Tuesday, September 1, 2015 in North America, Latin America, and Europe, followed by Japan and Asia on Wednesday, September 2. Hideo Kojima will remain involved throughout.

Hideo Kojima stated, "I want to reassure fans that I am 100 percent involved and will continue working on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain; I'm determined to make it the greatest game I"ve directed to date. Don't miss it!"

In addition, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. will continue to develop and distribute top-quality content in the Metal Gear series following "MGSV: TPP." We greatly anticipate and deeply appreciate your ongoing support for Metal Gear.

As the next step in the series, Konami has already resolved to develop a new "Metal Gear" title.

We will be conducting interviews for main staff to lead the development."

Rumors of a split between Konami and Kojima first surfaced yesterday, when it came to light that his name had been removed from all MGS5 promotional materials and the list of Konami's corporate officers. The Kojima Productions Twitter account has also been renamed to simply "Metal Gear Official." Gamespot reported that Kojima and senior staff at his studio had been relegated to the status of contract employees following some kind of falling-out, and that they were expected to walk away completely once MGS5 is completed. This statement isn't exactly confirmation that he's leaving, but it's awfully close.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain comes out on September 15.