Little did people know that the cancellation of Silent Hills was only the first step in what turned out to be a massive corporate restructuring of Konami, the effects of which rippled across the industry, particularly because it all felt centered around one of gamings most renowned creative forces. Things first starting feeling fishy when Konami removed Hideo Kojimas name from the box art of Metal Gear Solid V. Such evidence, along with rumors of conflict within the company, implied that Kojima and Konami were at odds with each other. Following the successful launch of Metal Gear Solid V later in the year, Kojima finally resigned from the company he had spent nearly 30 years working for. This was the emotional conclusion in what has been a very controversial year for Konami. It has since been revealed that Kojimas resignation was the result of Konamis effort to shift away from game development and focus more on mobile gaming and pachinko machines, which didnt fit his creative needs. This shift was followed closely by the voluntary delisting of Konami from the NYSE, as well as stories of terrible and uninspiring working conditions. To make matters even worse (if thats even possible at this point), the dispute between Konami and Kojima didnt stop after his leaving. In a move that appears obnoxiously petty even for Konami, they barred Kojima from appearing at this years Game Awards to accept anything for Metal Gear Solid V. All of this made Konami look even worse in a year that has shaken any faith one might have had with this once beloved video game developer. For many gamers who had bought and enjoyed their various series' over the years, Konamis mistreatment of Hideo Kojima, along with the blatant disregard and contempt for its loyal consumers, felt downright criminal. The silver lining is that Kojima is now free to do what he wants, and gamers will be watching with hopeful eyes for his next passion project. Here's to 2016! What do you think was the most controversial video game moment of 2015? Let us know in the comments!
