Kojima Productions, Hideo Kojima's development company, has spoken out against false rumors and news surrounding its founder, and will possibly pursue legal action if such claims continue to spread. Kojima is well known primarily for his work in creating the Metal Gear Solid franchise. After the success of Metal Gear Solid V and the widely acclaimed horror game P.T., he famously broke ties with Konami in 2015, and since going independent, Kojima Productions has developed hits like 2019’s Death Stranding. More recently, Hideo Kojima has announced he and his team will partner with Microsoft to develop a first-party title for the Xbox Series X/S - a move that has proven to be controversial among players used to Kojima’s close association with PlayStation.
However, a far more serious incident involving Hideo Kojima has surfaced following the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday. Once the assailant was apprehended and images began to circulate online, some noted a resemblance between Abe’s killer and Kojima, prompting several racially-insensitive “jokes” that the esteemed developer was the culprit. This soon snowballed into serious allegations when far-right French politician Damien Rieu retweeted images (that he would later delete) comparing Kojima to the real perpetrator, and a Greek news station covering the assassination misidentified Kojima as the culprit. While many fans are clarifying Hideo Kojima wasn’t the one who assassinated Shinzo Abe, and the Death Stranding developer hasn’t been charged with anything, the false rumors surrounding Kojima's supposed involvement with the former Prime Minister's death have continued.
Kojima Productions finally addressed the fake allegations against its founder in a Twitter post earlier this morning, strongly condemning the spread of false information. It also states such misinformation will not be tolerated, and Kojima Productions will consider taking legal action against those who perpetrate it in certain cases. Many other Twitter users have voiced their support for Kojima in the comments section, and some have even noted similarities between his current predicament and Metal Gear Solid’s themes of spreading false information in the digital age.
This is far from the first instance of fake information surrounding Hideo Kojima and his development studio, as there were rumors PlayStation was looking to purchase Kojima Productions back in April. Kojima himself later clarified Kojima Productions would remain an independent developer - a stance that was reinforced by the news Kojima would be working with Xbox for a brand-new IP, even as his company continues its work with PlayStation on the recently-confirmed Death Stranding 2.
However, the current wave of false rumors surrounding Hideo Kojima is far more serious than the usual claims of a new game being in development or a developer being bought out. Thankfully, most are well aware Hideo Kojima wasn't involved with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's death, but Kojima Productions is still taking firm action against the spread of these false and often hateful allegations, hopefully putting an end to the damaging rumors.
Source: Kojima Productions/Twitter