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The story
In a 2016 interview with Toyo Keizai, Hideo Kojima described his relationship with Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), saying a “simple setup makes things easier since there’s no unnecessary meddling.” That remark has resurfaced on 5ch’s hardware/industry (console war) board. The thread also dug into Kojima’s own account that SIE had abruptly notified him of the cancellation of a project in development, sparking a wave of reactions to how a relationship that once seemed so good had completely flipped. Posters were split on where to place the blame — some pointed to Kojima’s track record dating back to his Konami days, others blamed SIE for cutting costs after its own in-house titles underperformed — and no consensus was reached.
Why I partnered with Sony
— You chose Sony Interactive Entertainment as your development partner.
That’s right, for DEATH STRANDING, which is currently in development. Some people say it’s risky that funding for the first project came from Sony alone — that it’s too simple a setup — but that’s not true at all. If anything, a simpler setup makes things easier, since there’s no unnecessary meddling. I think it’s also a desirable arrangement in terms of balancing commercialism with creative authorship. I’ve been a Sony fan since way back, and we’ve worked together professionally for a long time — there’s real trust between us. The PlayStation market is also a good match for my creative sensibility.
Source: toyokeizai.net / Original article here
What people said
make whatever you want, huh
But if you don't actually deliver per the contract, you get cut loose.
Guess Kojima grew up a bit just by learning that much
That was pretty much obvious the moment he left Konami.
What's funny is the people who defended him just for being buddy-buddy with Sony are now piling on the second he splits from Sony
True, but
Konami's honor should get restored first
Everyone's struggling to grow their audience these days, so anyone who trashes casual players can't be all there
Putting that VTuber in his game was a huge net negative
lol the Sony defenders have no leg to stand on because of that garbage Wolverine game
This really is just cost-cutting in the end
Well, I do think Kojima should've picked up his development pace, but SIE deciding it can't carry him given its current results is also on them
Go do solo indie dev at home by yourself, good luck
Overseas it's overwhelmingly the former (Sony)
Overwhelmingly Sony
"See, SIE really does love games~ great relationship with creators too. Nintendo should take notes lol"
Now:
"Of course he got cut, he's trash. SIE did nothing wrong"
Lol that's rough
Guess it's the sales barrier from hyping up Death Stranding 2 that hard and then not buying it
People are seriously saying stuff like this
They defended Kojima forever,
and the instant the split happens they do a total 180 — that's genuinely unhinged
Unless that one line gets debunked, Sony's going to keep looking like the villain here
The fact that he specifically threw in "suddenly" says a lot
He even goes on to say he then struggled and ended up teaming with Microsoft
Really does make you think Kojima's got some real grievances
A masterfully worded line that really shows off Director Kojima's leadership
A rallying cry to send in the funnels (Gundam term for sending fans to attack on your behalf)
That's total victim-posturing
Well, I guess you could take it that way
But man, this is seriously an internal squabble
It's painfully obvious he's trying to sic his fanbase on people every time — not very manly
Feels like the same thing got said during the Konami days too,
but looking back, thinking that split was actually the more amicable one says a lot, doesn't it?
Sending in the funnels and basking in it is basically his signature move anyway, so…
Got cut loose by both Konami and Sony for being a money pit, yet still manages to project this air of persecution
Well, the biggest factor really is just
"he's past his prime and can't make games that sell anymore" 😇
Being effectively held under house arrest by KONAMI during development, with communication to the dev team cut off, is a genuine tragedy though
KONAMI wasn't just cold toward Kojima back then — other producers and directors got the same treatment
🦊 "Sony deceived me!"
Konami's already completely cut ties, right?
Looking at what he's done since leaving Konami, would they even want to deal with him again?
Konami's worked hard to build a foundation where they don't need Kojima anymore — there's zero upside for them…
But if it got exposed that they just kicked him out, the damage would be huge, so they'd have no choice but to take him back
From Kojima's side, it's a pure win-win move
That just sounds like him begging to make another MGS
I bet he looked about the same today too
They're plenty profitable and loaded — they're the ones who cut him, right? (´・ω・｀) (a pouty emoticon face)
Being profitable and choosing to put that money into investment or software development are two different things
Background and points of contention
Kojima’s relationship with SIE began with the development of DEATH STRANDING after he left Konami in 2015, and the quoted interview dates from that honeymoon period. The topic resurfaced now because Kojima’s own account — that SIE abruptly notified him of a project’s cancellation — drew renewed attention years later, and posters treated it as ironic that he ended up having his contract cut by the very partner he’d praised for not “meddling.” In the thread, some cited the poor performance of SIE’s own in-house titles, like Marvel’s Wolverine, as evidence of the company’s cost pressures, while others questioned Kojima’s own development pace and sales track record — the two camps never reached a consensus on which was the primary cause. It’s also worth noting that the entire account of the cancellation notice comes from Kojima’s side, not from any official statement by SIE.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Console Wars)) thread “Hideo Kojima: “Partnering with SIE feels safe — no unnecessary meddling, and they just do what I say”.”
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