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Konami’s lawyers prevented Hideo Kojima from accepting awards for MGSV in person

You’d think the man responsible for one of the year’s biggest games would be allowed to attend an awards ceremony that celebrates such things, but you’d be wrong.

Hideo Kojima, the man behind mega-franchise Metal Gear Solid, was informed by lawyers representing the game’s publisher that he wasn’t allowed to make an appearance at The Game Awards 2015 which took place in Los Angeles last night. Host Geoff Keighley even announced it to the assembled audience, to a chorus of loud boos.

According to The Verge, 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 award ceremony to accept any awards. He’s still under an employment contract and it’s disappointing.”

Kojima a no show

So when Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain won an award last night for best Action/Adventure game of the year, Kiefer Sutherland accepted it on his behalf. Sutherland was Snake’s voice in MGSV, replacing longtime Snakealike David Hayter. And when the game won two awards at the other award ceremony held last night on Tokyo (Sony’s PlayStation Awards), Konami’s head of PR accepted it (via Kotaku).

This is just the latest in a string of incidents that indicate the rift between Kojima and Konami; earlier hints at a rift include rumours that he’d left the company, reports that no he hadn’t left he was just “on vacation” after finishing MGSV, and others that said he’d been fired. This, despite Kojima being responsible for the game franchise that put Konami on the map.

Funny stuff

We’ll be doing our own digging behind the real reason for the rift between the two parties, but for now both are being incredibly secretive about what’s really going on here. All we know is Kojima is still technically an employee of Konami until December (no specific date given), and that there’s some funny stuff going on behind the scenes.

Guess we’ll know more when Kojima’s contract is officially up, and he strikes out on his own. Unless of course he’s muzzled by more Konami lawyering.

But really, even if there are some serious issues between the parties, surely preventing the guy from accepting an award for a game he clearly put his heart and soul in to is beyond ridiculous? Not to mention childish.

Until somebody talks, though, we can’t know for sure. Sadly.

[Source – The Verge]

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