Last week, the saga surrounding Hideo Kojima’s departure from Konami took yet another twist during The Game Awards 2015 event, where it was revealed by host Geoff Keighley that the publisher had actively prevented its former employee from attending the ceremony, citing contractual obligations.
It is by no means the first time that Konami has reportedly mistreated Kojima and his creative team, leading former Square Enix executive Yoichi Wada to attribute the behaviour to a “lack of leadership.”
Writing on his personal Facebook page (via Kotaku), Wada acknowledged that whatever way you paint Konami and Kojima’s fallout, such an approach is “negative for business.”
As I know Mr. Kojima, I want to say, ‘I can’t believe this cruel treatment!’ But, here I’m going to give my thoughts as a corporate exec. However you think about this, this is a negative for business.
Maybe leaving the home console market is management’s plan, but going out of your way to make enemies with the world has no meaning. Generally, this kind of thing happens when there’s a lack of leadership. I think, perhaps, there isn’t someone in charge who is paying attention and laying out all the little details for whole enterprise.
Reports cite that Hideo Kojima officially left Konami on October 9, despite the publisher’s claims to the contrary. Kojima’s contract expires officially at the end of 2015.
