Hey all, really not keen for this to be seem like Youtube spam, but I thought that this video needed sharing. Super Bunnyhop (which, admittedly, is probably my favourite gaming Youtuber) has done a great deal of digging around Konami, including managing to secure an anonymous source (information not verified, but the sources position within the company is), which helps to shed some light on what the hell has been going on.

Again, sorry if this seems like spam, I just thought that maybe this could be relevant, especially in light of recent events.

Personally to me it seems like as though the entire fiasco has been a battle of egos. Whatever happened, it is almost guaranteed to have occurred because of some internal, more personal disputes. I say this because of Silent Hills. The P.T. demo for Silent Hills came out 12 August 2014, meaning that at that moment in time, the relationship between Kojima and Konami was solid, as they had given him the go-ahead for another major title after MGS5, with another major actor. Something drastic had to have happened for this to completely fall apart, especially after the hype that P.T. managed to generate (it's nature meant that it tapped into that "Youtuber's that play scary games" crowd. That is seriously large exposure).

Edit: What the hell, I was convinced that I was in the Konami forum when I posted this. I think I'm going crazy, this is the second time this has happened. Never mind, realised it's possible to change topics yourself.

I am extremely sad that this game will never see the light of day. They are even removing the demo from the PlayStation store soon. Sad Day for horror gaming fans.

Bunnyhop is good stuff.

Konami is not good stuff.

I really, really hope this stuff about Konami fucking with Koji pro, security card lock ups and desk changes, is false because that's seriously fucked. Although if all the fucking with their internal studio is specifically to convince them to leave but the company also knows Kojima wont leave and sue them that's a bit of a conflicting motivation. They want them to leave but if they leave then they can sue so they actually want them to stay? I'm a bit confused as to what the source means there.

I'm assuming what he means is that Kojima was probably under some contracts. If they fired Kojima they would have to pay him some crazy sum of money or he would sue BUT if he quits on his own then he would be breaking the contract and Konami wouldn't have to pay him anything extra? Maybe?

I found his voice (or the tone rather) to be weirdly off-putting, but he does provide some new information that I haven't heard before. Whether or not they are actually true is another matter.

@probablytuna: He does go out of his way to restate how the source is anonymous and everything is basically a rumour at this point. Too bad you find his voice off-putting, or else I'd recommend his critical close-ups of MGS1, 2 and 3.

Sadness!!!

Judging by the Phantom Dust story, GRIN's history with Square Enix and other stories, sabotaging a studio in subtle ways is a long standing tradition in the video games industry.

@dudeglove: I just mentioned it as solid as it's the most actual investigating/putting it all together I've seen anyone do so far on this matter. I'll remove that adjective if it's giving the wrong idea.

@thephantomstranger:

I assume they mean that if fired it violates some contract or would count as unfair dismissal which opens them up to lawsuits. So they can't get rid of him.

They can however make his work and life so unbearable that he leaves of his own accord. Then it's not them who are ultimately to blame because they've acted perfectly legally.

My sympathies go out to Kojima if that's the case, forcing yourself to work on something you love despite petty workplace bullying like that sounds awful.

Wait hold up, I just realised I have his channel subscribed and now I remember where from. I didn't realise until now that I have seen the critical close-up videos and loved them. I think I found it off-putting because it sounded like he was talking like a text-to-speech software, and I didn't have any trouble with it in his MGS2/3 analysis videos, maybe it's because he's not on screen?

- Two executives have a beef, we don't know over what...it could even ne Kojima being a jerk....but we blame Konami

- The way Konami OWNED studios are named changes...Kojima won't be working for Konami...but we get upset that they change them name? (Also, who names a studio after themselves? Not Snake Productions? Not Metal Gear Productions? Not Plinken Enterprises? Not Dr. Hal & Emma Emmerich Piss Themselves A Lot In These Games Productions? Nope, he calls it Kojima Productions like some sort of megalomaniac....nice.)

- Konami seens sectors of their business growing and others falling...but we blame them for switching to the rising sections instead of pushing the failing ones up? REALLY?

- Eveny mainline Metal Gear game makes less and less money because fewer people buy them....but gamers are upset that Konami will STILL make the games. THEY ARE STILL MAKING THE GAMES!!!!! Any of the staff who don't freak-out will be making them too JUST AS THEY HAVE ALWAYS DONE.

- Many game critics and gamer are expressing fatigue with the Metal Gear series OR wanted Kojima to move onto new IP...yet the very second a major change will occur....we don't want that either.

- From the very start Kojima acted WEIRD about MGS 6. Fake games, fake studios, fake producers wrapped in bandages...would your keep an idiot like that on staff? Metal gear is a major property to own, it is making less and less money, a guy who keeps saying this is his last game keeps making them and acts like a lunatic in early publicity. Sorry, I would be distancing Kojima away from my game too.

I think people are lionizing Kojima and dumping on Konami executives with very little reason to do so. I think anyone who is not willing to conceed taht Kojima might have some fault in this are blind. The guy called teh studio after himself. They guys wrapped bandages on his face and pretened to be someone else for interviews. Kojima defenends a character called Skull Face who forces two people to have sex with each other against their will, as a vehicle to incorporate difficult themes like rape and sexual assault into a series...this game will have the rare Sexual Violence Rating. Why are we sure this ISN'T his fault?

@dudeglove: Yep, aware of this issue. Looking at it. Thanks for the report.

Oh, this is that guy? No thanks.