Konami’s growing rift with Hideo Kojima has been a rather public matter since he left the company; but it turns out that many other former employees are also having problems. Konami is currently accused of using its influence to prevent those who left the company from finding jobs, or even using its name on their resumes.
The biggest issue thus far involves Kojima’s new company Kojima Productions. An executive applied to ITS Kenpo, a health insurance society that is necessary for providing insurance coverage for employees. The application was rejected before it was even presented to the board of directors, simply because ITS Kenpo chairman Kimihiko Higashio is also a director at Konami.
This is largely considered to be a strange move for the society, seeing that applications must first be presented to the board of directors. And that the chairman can only unilaterally reject an application if there is a tied vote.
As the Nikkei Asian Review reveals, this is only the tip of the iceberg. An unnamed staffing agency employee said that he reveals to gaming companies if they intend to hire an ex-Konami worker. This is because the company has been known to file formal complaints against the hiring company.
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A similar story happened with an employee at a television company, who was instructed to avoid dealing with former Konami employees. Not to mention that the company has been known to send legal threats to media agencies that speak to its ex-workers.
Life at Konami isn’t exactly what people in the industry are looking for either. The company keeps an iron grip on its workforce, going as far as not providing anyone with a company email. Outside communications require a temporary account that is deleted within a few days. Social media accounts are also heavily monitored, and employees could find themselves transferred to less desirable positions for saying the wrong thing.
As far as games go, Konami has been pivoting towards a more mobile market. It’s supposedly developing a new Metal Gear game without Kojima; although early impressions of the announcement have been less than stellar. The company has also been suspiciously quiet at E3, having practically nothing to show other than a new Pro Evolution Soccer.
[Source: Nikkei Asia Review]
