Remember when Konami took Hideo Kojima’s name off Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain? Oh, and dissolved the production company that bore his last name? What’s going on over at Konami is a bit of a mystery! Ditto for who signed some MGSV: TPP giveaway posters.
If you’ve been paying attention for the past, I dunno, decade or so, you’ll know that every time a new Metal Gear Solid is released, game creator Hideo Kojima gets out his Sharpies, makes public appearances, and starts autographing up a storm. Hell, the guy doesn’t even necessarily need a new game to have an autograph session. He’s more than happy to sign autographs for fans. You can see him doing this in the above image by Twitter user dimitrib21.
That...doesn’t appear to be happening this time, because it doesn’t look like Kojima is getting a chance to make public appearances (more here and here). For whatever reason. Heh.
[Image: Konami Style]
Instead, Konami, a company that sometimes releases video games, is holding a raffle on its online shopping site for those who purchase Steam download codes for The Phantom Pain. You have a chance to win the life-sized bionic arm from the game as well as, and I quote, “an autographed poster.” (The fine print does not clarify who signed them.)
[Image: metalgear_jp]
Autographed by whom? By Hideo Kojima? By voice actor Akio Otsuka? By Konami founder Kagemasa Kozuki? WHO KNOWS? Konami does, that’s who. (Kotaku reached out to Konami for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.)
But if the poster is signed by Kojima, which makes sense, then why not mention that on the raffle’s website? Or in the tweet? Hideo Kojima is a name game creator. He is more than willing to sign autographs. This is all rather strange, don’t you think?
Popular Japanese game site My Game News Flash wonders if this shows how much Konami does not want to use Kojima’s name, while on Twitter, people have been asking who’s signed the poster.
Top image: dimitrib21
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