In an announcement today, Konami Digital Entertainment revealed that it has promoted industry veteran and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima to vice president.
The new position will become effective from April 1. The promotion comes as part of a wave of new appointments at the company, including additions to the board of directors.
Pro Evolution Soccer producer Shinji Enomoto has also been promoted to a vice president role, while three new directors have been named -- Mineaki Yoshiba, Yasuyuki Yamaji and Kazuyuki Kisohara.
Kazuhiko Nakanishi has also been newly appointed to the company as standing corporate auditor.
Kazuhiko Uehara, currently a corporate officer for Konami, will replace Michihiro Ishizuka as CEO of Hudson Soft, following Konami's complete takeover of the Bomberman creator.
Last month Konami reported roughly flat sales and a drop in profits for the first nine months of the 2010 fiscal year. The Tokyo-based publisher said its business segments "roughly [met] their earnings forecast, despite the postponement of several titles."
Well, Kojima and his Kojima productions has been the only part of Konami pushing forward all of the dead weight attached to it, so why not make it official. Hopefully vice presidency will mean he will be able to exert some much needed quality influence instead of just putting a toll on the valuable time of the most creatively sound individual in the entire corporate structure with pointless meetings.
Green light some bold internally developed projects Mr. Kojima, Konami sure can use something new to use as a platform to build its future.
Never do PR revolving around April Fools day. I have every reason to believe this report, but that just makes me doubt it. Oh well, here's to hoping that whatever comes from this gets Kojima-san a step closer to making ZOE3 or any of the other good game ideas he has instead of making him a prisoner to his own success with Metal Gear. I love the Metal Gear games, but you can tell the guy is getting tired of making them.
^ Agreed 100%. There's only so much you can do to that (or any other) series. I'm sure there's enough back story to the MG series that if it were to be printed, it'd make "War and Peace" look like a hand out.
His involvement with Castlevania:LoS had made me fall in love with the Castlevania series again, and hope to see more involvement in either future Castlevania titles or another series that needs a reboot (i.e. Contra).
Seems an okay-ish move, probably linked up with a big bag of VP money to keep him at Konami. As long his first act as VP isn't mandating every game needs an hour and half long cut-scene.
Green light some bold internally developed projects Mr. Kojima, Konami sure can use something new to use as a platform to build its future.
A Hideo Kojima game
by Hideo Kojima
Vice-presidented by Hideo Kojima
Secondary to the president: Hideo Kojima
Oh man I lol'd
His involvement with Castlevania:LoS had made me fall in love with the Castlevania series again, and hope to see more involvement in either future Castlevania titles or another series that needs a reboot (i.e. Contra).