Konami delists from the New York Stock Exchange, prompting speculations that the company shakeup has not yet ended. Hideo Kojima, one of their foremost games developers heading Kojima Productions, is also confirmed to leave the company by December of this year.
The controversy surrounding partnership between publisher Konami and games developer Hideo Kojima is in the spotlight yet again after the company quietly delisted itself from the New York Stock Exchange. This is following the hiatus reported on March 19 of this year regarding the power struggle between Konami and Kojima. Does this mark the end of the partnership? Sources from within Konami seem to confirm this, although they have released a joint statement with Kojima that they will continue to work together for the Metal Gear franchise.
It all started last March 19 when Konami announced their rebranding and started removing Kojima Productions' logos from their games and merchandise. It was a hint that something has gone awry with the partnership. And indeed, it has. The power struggles between Kojima Productions and the company has prompted Konami to make changes and restructure the company. As senior developers, Kojima and his team responsible for developing the latest Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, are no longer permanently employed with Konami but rather work as contractors until December this year.
Konami has also cancelled the release of their other best seller, horror-themed Silent Hills, with no further details on its future. It can be noted that Kojima is also one of the developers of the game. This is more proof that the hiatus over at Konami has not yet been settled.
We can only assume that this issue has greatly affected Konami's stocks as, according to an official statement from the company, there have been lower volumes of Konami stocks being actively traded lately. This prompted them to delist from the NYSE because it is not anymore "economically justified".
With the company status being shaken up, the Konami controversy seems to have affected a lot of the company's aspects. Let's just hope it doesn't altogether affect Silent Hills and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. MGS5 is set for release on September 1 for PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4.
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