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Lawyers Reportedly Block Metal Gear Solid Creator From Attending Game Awards

Drama.

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Speaking tonight at the 2015 Game Awards, show organizer Geoff Keighley explained why Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima was not in attendance. According to Keighley, a games media veteran who is also a close personal friend of Kojima, lawyers instructed Kojima that it would not be a good idea to attend.

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Kojima reportedly left Konami in October. In his contract is believed to be a non-compete clause that likely means he cannot sign with a new company until sometime in later December at the earliest.

Earlier in the week, Keighley said he was hopeful that Kojima would be able to attend. However, it was not in the cards. As a result, it was Snake actor Kiefer Sutherland who accepted the The Phantom Pain's award for best Action/Adventure game.

This is of course just one side of the story. GameSpot has contacted Konami in an attempt to get more details.

GameSpot first reported earlier this year that Kojima was likely to leave the company following the completion of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which was released on September 1. A power struggle between Konami and Kojima Productions, the Kojima-led studio responsible for Metal Gear Solid, resulted in senior staff having limited access to emails, phone calls, and corporate Internet.

In July, the Japanese voice actor for Metal Gear Solid's Snake stated that Kojima Productions no longer existed as a development studio. This came following the cancellation of Silent Hills, a collaboration between Kojima and film director Guillermo del Toro, and the removal of Kojima's name from The Phantom Pain's box art.

Kojima first came to work at Konami in 1986. It was there that he created the Metal Gear series, which he has helmed since 1987. His other projects have included Snatcher, Policenauts, Boktai, and Zone of the Enders.

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