Geoff Keighley: Konami bans Metal Gear Solid V’s Hideo Kojima from game awards

Anime News Network

Dec 4, 2015

Kojima also did not accept award at PlayStation Awards in Japan on Thursday.

The Video Game Awards producer Geoff Keighley stated during the award ceremony on Thursday in Los Angeles that Metal Gear Solid series creator Hideo Kojima did not attend the ceremony because a lawyer representing Konami had informed Kojima that he “would not be allowed” to attend. Keighley added that Kojima “had every intention” of coming to the event, but was instead “in Tokyo watching the show.”

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was nominated for Game of the Year, Best Art Direction, Best Score/Soundtrack, and Best Action/Adventure. The game won the award for Best Score/Soundtrack and Best Action/Adventure. Kojima Productions was also nominated for Developer of the Year.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain also won a Platinum Prize at the PlayStation Awards 2015 ceremony in Tokyo earlier on Thursday. The Platinum Prize is awarded for games that have sold more than 1 million copies. The game also won a Users Choice Prize and a User Choice Prize Asia. Koijma also did not attend the ceremony, and a Konami public relations supervisor accepted the trophy instead.

A report by The New Yorker in October claimed that Kojima had left the Konami Los Angeles Studio on October 9, after a farewell ceremony. Konami later denied the report, saying that at the time, Kojima was taking “an extended vacation.”

The New Yorker also reported that Kojima’s contract and non-compete clause with Konami will expire in December, after which he can make games at another studio.

An anonymous source within Konami claimed in March that Kojima would leave Konami after completing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, with Kojima’s contract with Konami allegedly ending in December. Konami stated later that same month that Kojima Productions and other internal companies have had their names changed as part ofKonami‘s restructuring. Konami said in November that it has closed its Konami Los Angeles Studio, formerly named Kojima Productions Los Angeles.

The phrase “A Hideo Kojima Game” was also removed from the game titles on Konami America’sMetal Gear Solid page and when Konami restructured in March, Kojima was no longer listed as the “Executive Content Officer” of Konami.

Kojima previously stated that he will consider Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain as the lastMetal Gear Solid title. However, Konami UK Community Manager Graham Day stated in an interview in September that “the Metal Gear brand will continue,” even without Kojima.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain shipped for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC in the United States and Europe on September 1, followed by Japan on September 2.Metal Gear Online, the game’s online multiplayer component, became available for free for users of the game’s console versions on October 6, and will be available for owners of the game’s PC version in January.

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