Konami bans former employee Hideo Kojima from attending the 2015 Game Awards

Hideo Kojima, former employee of the infamous game studio Konami, was not allowed to attend the 2015 Game Awards by his ex-employers. When the game Kojima directed, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, won the award for Action Adventure Game of the Year at the Game Awards, he was not there to accept it. Instead, Konami announced that Kojima would not be able to leave Japan to attend the Awards, as he is still under an employment contract with the company. Upon the announcement, boos rang out from the audience in disapproval. Kiefer Sutherland, the voice actor for the protagonist of Phantom Pain, accepted the award in Kojima’s stead.

After a year of chaos and controversy among the gaming community, mostly over Konami, this only fuels the fire for hatred against greedy, money-obsessed companies more interested in the cash than the quality of the game. Such ideals have led to the near extinction of a beloved game franchise, Metal Gear Solid, who’s fate still hangs by a thread.

Although all might seem lost for Kojima (his franchise, his award,) he may soon be making a comeback. He’s reportedly in the works for a deal with Sony, and they already have a plan for their debut game, although his most famous series, such as Metal Gear Solid and Silent Hills, will not be able to be continued by him as long as Konami still has the rights to them (which they do.) Although, a new studio, just for Kojima, has gamers excited.

“This is amazing! Sony are really tuned into the gamers market and really know what they want.” Reddit user Adam_Mann said.

Konami has been on almost every gamer’s metaphorical hit list for awhile, mostly ever since they fired Hideo Kojima from their studio, forcing him to leave his hard work that translated into a wonderful franchise. All of the hate surrounding Konami has even lifted the weight off of game studio Electronic Arts, notorious for their unfinished games and expensive, tacked on downloadable content.

Now, Konami is slowly descending from the gaming business, and entering the world of gambling. They’ve halted their production of triple-A video game titles in exchange for the production of slot machines, some based on their most well-known games (mostly the ones Kojima directed. Coincidence? I think not.) They’re truly all-in for the money now, and quite literally too, which goes against almost everything gamers, and Kojima, stand for; a good game, not a cash-grab.