Geoff Keighley: Konami Banned Hideo Kojima From Accepting Any MGS V Awards

[Lizzy Finnegan]

Geoff Keighley: Konami Banned Hideo Kojima From Accepting Any MGS V Awards

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At the 2015 Game Awards, host Geoff Keighley stated that Konami had banned Hideo Kojima from accepting any awards.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain took home two awards Thursday night. One of those was Best Action/Adventure Game, which was accepted on Hideo Kojima's behalf by voice actor Kiefer Sutherland. According to host Geoff Keighley [https://twitter.com/geoffkeighley?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor], Kojima did not attend because he was legally banned from accepting any awards by Konami.

"As you noticed Hideo Kojima is not here with us tonight, and I want to tell you a little bit about that," Keighley said. "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."

stating [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/142897-Kojima-Leaves-Konami] that Kojima was "on vacation."

[tweet t=https://twitter.com/geoffkeighley/status/672622979658833921]

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[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Really Konami... you absolutely deserve the FucKonami hate. Not even EA or Activision has been this petty. Can't wait until Kojima gets out from under their thumb.

 

[Parasondox]

Konami is really working hard to become evil/worse company of 2015.

FucKonami

 

[Callate]

I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Kojima is vacationing in Konami's ultra-secure vacation compound, under compulsory twenty-four hour relaxation with armed assistants. Why is a man's paid time off so hard to understand?

 

[DemomanHusband]

This is getting so needless and shallow that I'm beginning to think that Sheldon Plankton himself may be acting out a personal vendetta against Kojima for not giving him the Metal Gear Formuoli. Only a cartoon character could provide a man and his team with such bile and a general lack of respect without caring for their own public image at all.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Someone tell Kotaku the oncoming reaction to this is what's supposed to happen when you get blackballed for doing your job. Not what they got. It comes with respected work.

 

[Godzillarich(aka tf2godz)]

This is a new low. I mean WOW could they dig themselves more into being the worst video...., wait pachinko machine developers ever. I'm not even a big fan of any of Konami's game or their developers but this is fucking low.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Well, it makes sense. Kojima never really had anything to do with the MGS series. He didn't practically single-handedly craft one of the biggest and most profitable franchises in gaming, nor was he one of a small collection of creative geniuses that put Konami on the map. And it's hardly like he's one of the most celebrated, if quirkiest, personalities in the gaming industry.

Also, we have always been at war with Eastasia.

<..>

[small]#FucKonami[/small]

 

[Tanis]

Konami.
It's like EA, but in Japan.

Konami.
It's Zynga, for Asians.

Konami.
It's Japanese slang for douche bag.

 

[Godzillarich(aka tf2godz)]

This is getting so needless and shallow that I'm beginning to think that Sheldon Plankton himself may be acting out a personal vendetta against Kojima for not giving him the Metal Gear Formuoli. Only a cartoon character could provide a man and his team with such bile and a general lack of respect without caring for their own public image at all.

Konami.
It's like EA, but in Japan.

Konami.
It's Zynga, for Asians.

Konami.
It's Japanese slang for douche bag.

no, plankton, EA, Zynga and most douche bag are too good to be part of Konami's higher-ups. Even they has standards.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

I am a petty and spiteful person. There is a point where petty spitefulness becomes excessive.

Good job Konami, I don't think I've said that before.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

Their absolute devotion to becoming a cliched Saturday-morning-cartoon villain is almost commendable. Almost.
I'm starting to think they're jealous of EA's Worst Company in America Award

 

[SweetShark]

I know this is very sad to hear, but is there an actually a REAL reason why Konami did that? Like not because "Konami are assh*les, f*ck Konami"? A real realistic reason?

 

[malnin]

I know this is very sad to hear, but is there an actually a REAL reason why Konami did that? Like not because "Konami are assh*les, f*ck Konami"? A real realistic reason?

Some people within Konami want to get out of video games entirely since they make most of their money now from slot and pachinko machines. This could possibly be them actively trying to alienate themselves from the rest of the industry.

 

[The Eupho Guy_v1legacy]

I think we should start using "Konami" as a verb to describe something bad that has happened to you in a game. Get your butt whupped by Ornstein and Smough? They Konami'd you so hard. CTD right before you get to a save point? You just got Konami'd. VAC banned for being on the same server as a hacker? Thats a Konami right to the face. Save file got corrupted? You got Konami'd to tears. Got to download 14 GB of data before you can play that brand new game you've been waiting years for? You've been mercilessly Konami'd.

Sounds like a winner to me. I narrowly avoided getting Konami'd last night. I had just finished the last level of Eufloria HD when our house briefly lost power. Had we lost power a few minutes earlier, I'd have lost about an hours worth of progress.

 

[Lt. Rocky]

It is bizarre and downright scary at the level of how viciously an entire corporate persona can hold down a single person without the question of legality. How do you legally prevent someone from going to a place? Isn't that something you place on war criminals or people convicted of treason?

How the hell did Koji Igarashi get out of there so unscathed?

 

[thewatergamer]

Man, just when I thought that Konami couldn't sink any lower, couldn't act anymore pathetic and childish...#Fuckonami