Sir Ilpalazzo
Member
Kojima was the director of the very first Metal Gear game. There was never any point at which Metal Gear existed in any form and Kojima was not involved.
Kojima will no longer be a Konami executive from April 1st + KojiPro is no more?
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Kojima was the director of the very first Metal Gear game. There was never any point at which Metal Gear existed in any form and Kojima was not involved.
BobTheFork
Member
Oh, he is serious. He's always serious when he says it.. but then...yeah.
Well it makes sense in terms of unifying all the marketing and PR under the Konami brand, and makes more sense that MGS V loses the Kojima tags if rumours are correct that Kojima will be leaving Konami, why would you want to advertise the name of someone not associated with your company?
3DimensionalAperture
Banned
Metal Gear was in development when he was hired at Konami, and he took over development from a senior associate.
NightShift
Member
So what I'm getting out of this is that Konami just bit the hand that feeds them.
I imagine Kojima's life being exactly like Sakaguchi's is described in the Mega64 video.
The way some people are taking this news makes me think that, on the occasion that Hideo Kojima eventually dies, there will be some that'd never believe it. It'll be Elvis conspiracies all over again, with people expecting Kojima to appear thirty years later to direct one last Metal Gear game, and to ask us, while looking as haggard as Old Snake, and between rasping coughs..."Do you rike it?"
Embearded
Member
Yes there was. They made Snake's Revenge as a Metal Gear sequel without him knowing. When he heard about it, he started creating MG2:SS.
jinxthejiv
Member
What will happen to Silent Hills, If anything?
What? Kojima MADE Metal Gear. It's his game. Not Konami's.
influentzar
Member
Sid Meie- ehem.
Led_Zeppelin
Member
That is the fault of Konami for not having any real talent left on the company or at least talent that could promote a game by only adding a small label of "A XXX game"...
For the record I though that LoS was a terrible castlevania and have my doubts abouth the Sillent Hills project. I will still get MGS5 but I wil l cancel my preorder and see what is Konami trying to do with it, the series has always been Kojima's baby and if Konami keeps pushing it without him I doubt anyone would care.
Oh snap I guess it may actually be happening.
Kojima is not going to Sony, why should he? Neither is he joining Microsoft. Everytime someone important leaves a company you get the usual "ohh he's going to Microsoft/Sony/Oculus/ljn"
IF he decides to continue in this industry then he'll choose a big western publisher for his new IP and assemble a studio containing a decent amount of western employees (just like SE is trying to do now with its FF games)
/end baseless speculation
Kojima is not going to Sony, why should he? Neither is he joining Microsoft. Everytime someone important leaves a company you get the usual "ohh he's going to Microsoft/Sony/Oculus/ljn"
IF he decides to continue in this industry then he'll choose a big western publisher for his new IP and assemble a studio containing a decent amount of western employees (just like SE is trying to do now with its FF games)
/end baseless speculation
DXB-KNIGHT
Member
The troll force!
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
So I guess events so far could be summarised as thus:
Which leaves us with:
- Reports of major restructuring at Konami, including changes to executive list and rebrandings, along with company focus. Aligns with beginning of new Japan fiscal year on April 1st.
- Hideo Kojima to move away from executive level.
- Reports/rumours of layoffs, including at Kojima Productions. Common for layoffs to occur during the tail end of a development cycle (see: The Phantom Pain) as quantity of required staff decreases.
- Revisionist rebranding of "Kojima Productions" and "A Hideo Kojima Game"; logos, titles, etc removed from existing game websites, press releases, and digital box arts. Focus shifted exclusively to Konami.
- Senior staff from other Konami franchises exit the company, also common during restructuring as staff no longer agree with direction.
- Kojima Productions Los Angeles (Metal Gear Solid V: Online) rebranded Konami Los Angeles Studio.
Which leaves us with:
- What title does Hideo Kojima now hold, at which branches? Will he exist as a permanent employee at Konami at all?
- What future does Silent Hills have?
Don't think so. Google has a cache of the press release on March 8, and I've checked the Japanese press release circulated by Nikkei on March 5. No mention of Kojima or Kojima Productions there either. Seems like the SCEJA one is different.
It's more than just a rebranding, because otherwise Kojima would still be director of his own studio division, even if it is renamed. There's definitely staff shuffling.
Not Spaceghost
Spaceghost
This all makes me so sad ;__;
SolidSnakex
Member
Any time someone leaves a company or a company is up for sell the immediate assumption of many people is that a first party studio will snap them up. A recent example of that was Atlus. Although, I guess you could argue on some level that a first party studio did buy them.
Stratosphere
Member
Serpens007
Member
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain |OT| A [Elvis Presley] Game
He let his staff try to make a game with Rising and they failed miserably.
The studio is nothing without Kojima. He is Metal Gear.
Headexplosion.gif
Even if they're preparing for his eventual retirement, dropping the Kojima productions brand wasn't a good idea.
Developers would want to work for a studio like that.
In the end he's just treated like a salaryman.
3DimensionalAperture
Banned
See above. MG for the MSX was already in development when Kojima originally got hired at Konami, and Kojima took it over eventually. He made it his own, but the IP was never his from the get go.
He'll be a perfect fit, they could create wonderful movies together.
Does this mean one day there will be a Hideo Kojima Gaming Doomsday Machine?
http://youtu.be/xzYMYPTNV8A
BreezyLimbo
Banned
Who boy. In context of todays news this is foreboding.
Graphics Horse
Member
Are there any sources for this as I've never heard it before.
3DimensionalAperture
Banned
You're forgetting Portable Ops which he wasn't involved with either. Shit, he wasn't involved with Zone of the Enders either aside from being the producer and those games BOTH say "A Hideo Kojima Game" which I also felt was disingenuous.
Led_Zeppelin
Member
Well RAD needs someone that at least know how to mix gameplay with their movies.
Sun is setting, spring is coming (April restructure) so he'll take some time off but he'll come back and be all
"KEPTYOUWAITINGHUH??"
usp84
Member
BossLackey
Gold Member
I feel like my parents are getting divorced and Dad is moving out 
3DimensionalAperture
Banned
Off hand: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideo_Kojima
I recall interviews too in which he said he had more time to develop the story in MG2 because he felt it was more "his game" as opposed to inheriting the first one.
But they get to write that they worked for Kojima productions, under a brilliant director. How is that disrespectful.
Kojima Productions was ALSO on the cover of those games.
A king must live a life more vivid than any other and be figure for all to admire! The king is the one who collects the envy of all his heroes and stands as their guide! Therefore, the king is not alone! For his will equals that of all his followers combined! -alexander the great
I don't know if Konami is thinking about it that way, or if they're thinking about it in terms of the costs of developing and maintaining a game engine + marketing + paying two entire development studios + 5 years of development time, all for one game.
It might just not be something they are interested in doing any more.
influentzar
Member
you don't like soccer ? We have soccer.
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
I feel like my parents are getting divorced and Dad is moving out
Mum gets to keep Zone of the Enders out of spite even though she doesn't intend to ever fucking use it.
fixedpoint
Member
MGS VI: F2P Pachinko Edition
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