Konami Banned Kojima From Attending The Game Awards

Well this is awkward. During The Game Awards last night the host, Geoff Keighley, explained that Hideo Kojima had planned to attend the ceremony to pick up an award for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, but his attendance was scuppered by Konami’s lawyers.

Keighley said:

As you noticed, Hideo Kojima is not here with us tonight and I want to tell you a little about that. Mr. Kojima had every intention of being with us tonight, but unfortunately he was informed by a lawyer representing Konami just recently that he would not be allowed to travel to tonight’s awards ceremony to accept any awards.

He’s still under an employment contract. And it’s disappointing and it’s inconceivable to me that an artist like Hideo would not be allowed to come here and celebrate with his peers and his fellow teammates.

Source: YouTube

11 Comments

  1. On holiday still.

  2. Well, what a bunch of whatsits Konami are! At least, I assume it’s Konami that are the baddies and not Kojima. Well put by Keighley, I hope at some point there’s some clarity over what went on.

  3. Disgusting treatment of a gaming God goes on. Right I’m putting Konami on my banned list.I just don’t know where I’m going to get my football buzz from every season as I don’t want to go back to Fifa.

    • Play the free version of PES and don’t spend any money on in-game purchases? :D

      • I suppose your right there but I already own this seasons but that will be the way forward from now on. Let’s just hope Konami does a F2P in the future on console.

  4. Disgraceful behaviour from Konami.I really hope it comes back to bite them on the ass.

  5. Those fucking dicks! pardon my language but that is a very petty thing to do and Kojima’s entire career has more or less been involved with MGS. Not being able to collect awards for his last game in the franchise is just a dick move and i hope that they can send Kojima the award unless Konami’s decided that he doesn’t get to be awarded because he is production worker #02909239029320390293092.

    If Konami are wrried that Kojima would take the award and rant about being kicked out of Metal Gear, they are insecure and wrong. I mean, Kojima’s pretty much laid back and just wants to do what he loves. Even if the ending of MGSV is pure crap.

    But this, this is just disgraceful. Hell, even Activision or EA wouldn’t pull this crap.

  6. How stupid Konami is dealing with this is quite amazing (irrespective of who was right, Kojima or them).

  7. The whole thing is very very strange. It’s usually not so cut and dry with these sorts of things that one side is totally right and the other totally wrong, but Konami have consistently made bad decision after bad decision, trying to cover things up and get Kojima’s name removed from absolutely everything. And as far as I know Kojima has sat back quietly with no retaliation.

    This is one more occurrence of Konami screwing themselves over. What did they think they would accomplish with this apart from losing even more respect from gamers and the industry, as the video clearly shows has happened?

    • Your last paragraph sums up my thoughts. How could they have thought this would benefit anyone or look good on them?!

  8. I just keep trying to imagine if something like this happened in the movies or music industry how would it have looked ? Let’s say a movie director would have made a movie then before release they sack him and wouldn’t allow him to go to the Oscars ?

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