Kojima leaving Konami after MGSV due to internal fallout / Reduction in KojiPro Senior Staff (Rebranding)

[TheOcelot]

Metal Gear Solid 1-3's composer might know why Kojima and Konami have split up.

http://www.destructoid.com/metal-gear-solid-1-3-s-composer-might-know-why-kojima-and-konami-have-split-up-296699.phtml

Daley, Co-host of The Codec Podcast, claims he has been part of an interview with the series’ former composer Rika Muranaka. Apparently she said the reason Konami and Kojima split is because Kojima was not paid a portion of the profits on game sales, but was instead paid a fixed wage regardless of the success of the game. That, combined with an incredibly high budget, sparked the breakup.

It’s also worth pointing out this is a case of “someone said that someone said”. This didn’t come directly from Rika, this came from someone who was talking to Rika a while ago and is remembering it on a podcast, so take it with as much salt as you like.

The portion of the podcast relating to this starts at 1:45:00 until roughly 2:03:00.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Dtr6SuKB0

There's also a condensed transcript of what was said:

“The main reason for the falling out, at least in her opinion, is that Kojima gets paid a salary, and doesn't make any profit share on the game. He gets paid a certain amount no matter what, and he was spending so much money and delaying the project, and adding all these features and making sure the game was the biggest and best thing it could be, and Konami was unhappy with that because [delaying] has no effect on him. He was spending the budget on this and that and upgrading the Fox Engine and then delaying further because the engine wasn't ready, and Konami wasn't happy with that because he gets his salary and he takes a more traditional "Japanese man" approach by not taking a profit share. So in doing that, he gets a little more than a game creator would but doesn't take bonuses from the game selling well…

In her eyes, Kojima's a fantastic creator, and probably the best creator of his time, but he doesn't have a strong business sense like Konami would like him to have. Where instead of, for example, cutting corners by lowering foliage resolution, he wants to make sure everything looks as good and polished as possible. She said they paid for her to write 30-40 songs that ended up not being used, and he'd tell her to write another one, then another one, then another one, because he settles for what he likes and has a good mind for what people want to see and what people want to hear…

She's worked directly with Kojima for the music before so she does have some insight, and personally believes that the music has suffered in MGSV because she's not a part of it, because they couldn't afford her. So instead of paying her to go to all these people and recruit them for the music, they chose to remove her from the equation and go to the people directly.”

 

Edited July 27, 2015 by BenderTheBatman

[PSI Wind]

Well, I WAS going to actually buy MGS5 on sale or something in the future, but if Kojima doesn't get a cent from the sales? Hahahaha, I'm not giving Konami my money.

[Graystripe2000]

Hoo boy. http://www.craveonline.com/gaming/articles/882357-hideo-kojima-fired-konami-expensive

[MightyRay]

Oh Konami... what are you doing? Welp got some more evidence to put on the mounting pile that says Konami is a shonky company. 

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-08-03-new-article-on-konami-paints-a-bleak-picture

The article got their source from a Japanese business paper and basically says that things went down hill due to the mass success of a mobile game...

[Ripe]

So Konami just wants to exploit the cancer known as freemium market and pay-to-win games and now they were angry at Kojima because of his expensive game, which they should know that it will make profit, needed time to be finished (I guess I have to give them credit for not rushing the games like some other companies would do).

And also they treat their employees like trash. I know that it's Japan but this is way too much.

Well, I guess that this is in the end just another excample of why Konami is Konami. Luckily I haven't played many of their games.

[Teoskaven]

I'm still gonna play someday both Neverdead and Blades of Time, considering the interest i had in them, but i'll make sure to take them at the cheapest price possible.

As for all other Konami products i'm interested into (like Death Jr.) i have ways to get aroud them, so the company will earn nothing more from me.

[Dobkeratops]

I'm still gonna play someday both Neverdead and Blades of Time, considering the interest i had in them, but i'll make sure to take them at the cheapest price possible.

As for all other Konami products i'm interested into (like Death Jr.) i have ways to get aroud them, so the company will earn nothing more from me.

Simply buying used ensures Konami won't see a dime.

[goku262002]

As much as I want to support kojima and his team for making a great game like MGS5, I just can't buy this game new. I can't support these business practices I didn't support it with Bungie and I'm not now, treating employees like shit is where I draw a line.

Damnit Kojima just go into one of your disguises and black market the shit out of this game, start peddling copies of the game on ebay or something and pit the blame on Joakim Mogren that not-kojima bastard.

[TheOcelot]

Konami is reportedly ceasing its AAA development efforts on all games except Pro Evolution Soccer.

Following on from this morning’s report that Fox Engine director Julien Merceronhas left Konami, a new report from the same French website says the publisher is not investing in AAA console games any more.

The sole exception is the Pro Evolution Soccer series. That means no Metal Gear or Silent Hill to come, despite Konami’s earlier statements suggesting the former will continue.

Eurogamer too was able to corroborate this report, adding that the suspected reason for Merceron’s departure is true.

This will not affect Metal Gear Online, which is set to launch on October 6.

Back in May, Konami president Hideki Hayakawa said the company won’t just focus on mobile development. “Our aim is to continue to build up a comprehensive portfolio of console, arcade, and card game titles for each IP,” he said.

We’ve asked Konami PR for comment, but they were not able to provide one at the time of writing.

The amount of cut-content that has emerged from MGSV (which has led IMO to unnecessary padding of repetitive missions) points towards Konami slashing the games budget. Konami can go fuck themselves at this point.

 

 

[TheOcelot]

Hideo Kojima has officially left Konami according to a report in THE NEW YORKER

In Friday, October 9th, Hideo Kojima left the Tokyo offices of Konami, the video-game company where he had worked since 1986, for the last time. The departure ceremony, according to one of the hundred or so guests who attended, and who asked that I not use his name, took place at Kojima Productions, the director’s in-house studio, and was “a rather cheerful but also emotional goodbye.” He said that he did not see Konami’s president, Hideki Hayakawa, or its C.E.O., Sadaaki Kaneyoshi, at the party, but some of Kojima’s colleagues from other studios showed up to pay their respects, as did many of the people who worked on his most recent directorial project, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The game, which takes place in mid-nineteen-eighties Afghanistan and Zaire, made a hundred and seventy-nine million dollars on its launch day, in September—more than the two highest-grossing films of the year so far (“Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Jurassic World”) combined. 

 

[KHCast]

Of course the CEO and president isn't there. Konami's heads would rather eat their own feces while being eaten alive by Amazonian fire ants, than acknowledge and respect someone that's just as if not more of a importance to the company. Though, I shouldn't be surprised. Konami is Konami, and Konami is the second worst

also, wonder if those sales won't satisfy Konami.:/

Edited October 20, 2015 by Michael Munroe

[Junko]

But of course Konami say dumb shit after this report.

Earlier today, The New Yorker published a story reporting that Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima parted ways with Konami earlier this month. The Tokyo based game company is denying this report, saying that Hideo Kojima is still an employee and is currently “on vacation.”

According to Tokyo Sports, a spokesperson at Konami’s Tokyo headquarters said, “Currently, Kojima is a listed as a company employee [at Konami].”

Konami denied that he has left the company. “Currently, Kojima and the development team are finished developing Metal Gear Solid V and are taking a long time off from work.”

When asked about the farewell party, Konami replied, “We’re not sure what kind of thing this was.”

This pretext of a “vacation” could be a way for a long fade out, but Konami insisted, “Because the development time for console games is so long and fatigue builds up, it’s common for employees to take extended periods of time off when development is finished.”

A source close to Konami previously told Kotaku that Kojima’s contract ends this December.

Lest we forget this tweet making the rounds, which is fucking hilarious.

 

[KHCast]

Konami you fucking pigs. You disgusting slithering slimy fucking dumbass wastes of a company. Can't even go a day of respect without somehow blasting shit out of their mouths like this. Can't even give the man respect, and instead try to downplay the way this man is treated by the world currently. Seriously, they're like that kid at a birthday party that tries to get more attention then the birthday kid himself, cause he can't stand not being the headline. Fuck. you. Konami.

 

*drops mic*

[goku262002]

And now a funny riff on the above article:


EDIT: is their anyway to disable that IPB image resizer? its really ass:
Link.

Edited October 25, 2015 by goku262002

[goku262002]

Sooo, I heard some shit went down at the VGAs concerning Kojima?

[Strickerx5]

Sooo, I heard some shit went down at the VGAs concerning Kojima?

Around at the 1:00 mark.

Apparently Konami didn't allow Kojima to fly in and accept his award.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Strickerx5

[goku262002]

Geoff is the hero gaming needs but doesn't deserve.

Nah but seriously that was pretty cool him standing up to Konami for a friend like that, it got him blacklisted from Konami but who gives a fuck atm Konami deserves to be publicly shamed, fuck em and their petty antics.

[Tori Himemiya]

Its a damn shame that Konami denied Kojima's presence for winning an award he deserved for making such a ground breaking game. This is starting to be kind of annoying on Konami's behalf since Kojima create a lot of great IPs for them only to be denied recognition. What the hell, I'm making the understatement of the century since its been annoying since Konami started this spat against Kojima. Its too unfair.

All those "No room for Hideo" jokes are suddenly a lot more depressing now. 

[Strickerx5]

So, apparently the VGAs weren't the only thing Konami completely shafted Kojima on in the last 24 hours.

At the Playstation Award Show in Tokyo (an area near where Kojima supposedly is I may add), The Phantom Pain won 3 awards. All of which were excepted by PR executives over at Konami...

I've... never seen a company act so poorly before. Now, it hasn't been said whether it was Konami's decision to keep Kojima away from this award show as well but literally every sign points to it. I guess Sony just has too much to lose in pissing off Konami or something if they were to come forward like Geoff did.

It's absolutely sickening how the man worked his ass off for this horrific company (both in making this game and the company in general) but can't even accept an award he earned for doing so. I honestly can't believe things have progressed this far into the gutter.

[KHCast]

This company acts like Kojima did jack shit to even put their face on the map. Just fuck man.

 

I mean what would Sony exactly loose for calling Fuckonami out on their shit? Not like they're still beloved or seem to care about anything game related now.

[goku262002]

They actually in their own way said fuck konami in a tweet:

Notice no acknowledgement in Konami at all.

[Tails spin]

I applaud Geoff for what he did. But I also felt it was a slap to the face to snake's voice actor. Don't know I guess if he mention the guy's great voice work before tge comments it may have felt a little better. But other than that glad he shed light on the situation.

[Polkadi~☆]

So you refuse a man, who worked his ass off on the ultimate conclusion to a franchise he has worked on for a long time, to accept an award?

Well, excuuuuuuse me, Konami. Kojima had EVERY RIGHT to take his award, but you decide to be a complete fucking ass?

Wow, I never thought Konami could be this bad. I'm just gonna pirate MGSV and never buy another game from them again. Konami deserves no one's money.

[Marcello]

This also makes it a bit sadder:

Bunch of pics of Star Wars merch Kojima bought:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=187832919&postcount=464

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

You don't get anymore sadly relevant than this old tale :

Edited December 5, 2015 by Jovahexeon Ace Joranvexeon