Troubles, they are a-brewin' Despite all this success, Konami has actually been the focus of some controversy over the past several months. In March, Hideo Kojima, the creator of the Metal Gear franchise and one of the most famous game designers in the industry, was downgraded from a full-time employee to a simple contractor – along with all the rest of his Kojima Productions staff – and all marketing materials were scrubbed of his name. It has since come to light that there was something of a power struggle with Konami's new corporate leadership, and that Kojima and his 200 employees will be severing all ties with the publisher once their contracts expire at the end of the year.