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Yoichi Wada, who used to run Square Enix, has chimed in, giving his opinion on how Konami has allegedly been behaving towards Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima.


What are the latest developments in this seemingly endless saga? As Kotaku recently reported, a Konami PR person picked up a Metal Gear Solid V award in Tokyo last week instead of Kojima. Also, according to Geoff Keighley, the Metal Gear creator wasn’t allowed to attend this year’s Game Awards. Throughout 2015, there have been reports of how Konami has allegedly been treating the famed game creator and his staff.

“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,” Wada wrote on Facebook.


Continuing, he added, “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.” Wada added that its seems like the problem is a lack of direction.

Wada explained that the buck gets passed to administrators below, who might handle issues with little interest. “When you are not aware that the feelings of your own department aren’t aligned with the world at large, the results can be deplorable.”


While it’s debatable whether Wada did a competent job running Square Enix, it’s interesting to hear his opinion on the Kojima situation.

Top image: Game Watch Impress | Imperial Hot

To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft .




Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.