So Konami Didn’t Let Hideo Kojima Attend The Game Awards…

Briefly: I knew that Metal Gear Solid V would win some awards last night. The game is chock-full of near perfect mechanics, and while the storyline leaves something to be desired for MGS fans expecting plenty of long, convoluted cutscenes, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is still easily one of the best games of the year.

When it won the award for Best Action / Adventure game at last night’s The Game Awards, fans in audience and watching around the world expected series creator Hideo Kojima to take the stage in order to accept the award for what was likely to be the last true Metal Gear title that we’ll ever see.

Turns out, that was the plan, until Konami stopped Kojima from attending the awards at the last minute.

Host Geoff Keighley explained that “Mr. Kojima had every intention of being with us tonight, but unfortunately he was informed by a lawyer representing Konami just recently that he would not be allowed to travel to tonight’s award ceremony to accept any awards. He’s still under an employment contract and it’s disappointing.”

Here’s the video, where Keighley looks legitimately upset at the announcement, and the entire Microsoft Theatre boos Konami:

It’s absolutely insane just how much hate Konami has garnered over the past year, and with last night’s barring of Kojima, it seems as though they just keep digging that hole deeper.

Mere seconds after the decision was revealed on the livestream, Twitter was filled with #FuckKonami posts, and a myriad of support for Kojima and Kojima Productions.

It was pretty clear that Kojima was looking forward to the ceremony as well, as he’d been retweeting The Game Awards news all week.

Sad, sad stuff.