The relationship between Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima and Konami is rocky at best. Not only does it appear the brilliant game designer will be parting ways with the publisher once Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is out the door, Konami has gone so far as to remove his name and studio logo from the front of the game's box.
That said, EA's chief creative officer Peter Moore believes the two should let byeones be bygones, and just "kiss and make up." Could something like that actually happen at this point in the game? I'm not so sure….
When asked by GameSpot whether or not EA would be interested in working with Kojima in the event he does leave Konami for good, Moore said: "I've always liked Kojima-san. I got on with him during my days at Microsoft. I just think… what's going on there… I just think both of them should kiss and make up.
"From my experience, and I've spent a lot of time working in Japan, I think that Konami and Kojima will figure it out," he added. "Those kinds of business relationships [in Japan] are typically for life, and Kojima is such an important part in what has gone on there."
The Electronic Arts exec believes that Konami and Kojima just have too much history for them to break up over this bout of controversy. After all, he's the visionary behind the publisher's most iconic franchise. "Clearly, Kojima and Konami are at a rocky stage in their marriage, but you could take what is said about [Kojima Productions], about a game not adhering to budgets, about a game not being ready, and you could apply that to a lot of people," he continued.
"Any game that isn't iterative in nature the way an EA Sports game is, or any series that doesn't ship every single year… those things can go on forever," Moore added. "There needs to be an agreement between the publisher and developer to make sure that both parties understand when the game is supposed to ship, and what it's supposed to be. But with regards to Kojima and Konami, they'll kiss and make up. They'll be fine."
Do you think Kojima and Konami will end up working things out and stick together following the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain?