Hideo Kojima Leaves Konami For Good; Company To Continue 'Metal Gear'?
Hideo Kojima leaves Konami finally, after releasing two video games he created for the gaming company. The goodbye party for Kojima was "cheerful but also emotional" for those who attended.
Hideo Kojima, director and creator of the popular "Metal Gear" video game series, has finally left the Konami Tokyo offices last Friday, Oct. 9, according to Eurogamer.net. The farewell party for Kojima was said to be "cheerful but also emotional goodbye." The ceremony was attended by many guests.
Konami's president, Hideki Hayakawa, and CEO, Sadaaki Kaneyoshi were not seen during the departure ceremony, according to The New Yorker. Other colleagues from other studios did come to the ceremony to pay their respects and also many of the people who he worked with in his recent popular video game, "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain".
The game that was set on mid 1980's in Afgahistan and Zaire has already made $179 million on its launch day last September, according to sources. This exceeded their reported budget of $80 million.
Konami was contacted for confirmation of the news that Kojima is no longer working for the company, but there is still no response from them, according to Gamespot.
Kojima has a non-compete clause which will expire in December, according to a report from sources. The famous video game developer will have to wait to sign in with another company.
It has been known for a while now about the strained relationship between Kojima and Konami, as the gaming company has removed the director's name from all marketing around the recent game, "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain". Kojima was also taken off of the board of directors back in March, according to sources. Konami also cancelled the "Silent Hills" project, which was collaborated with Guillermo Del Toro and Norman Reedus.
Hideo Kojima leaves Konami and the "Metal Gear" fans are nervous of what is going to happen to the series. The company assures they will continue to work on the series.
