Hideo Kojima raises eyebrows with Saudi Prince meeting
"Dammit dude come on."
Hideo Kojima does like to share all of his goings on, over on Twitter. How else would we really know what Léa Seydoux is up to?
However, one of his more recent posts has caused quite a stir from his followers. Earlier today, the Metal Gear creator shared a picture of himself standing beside Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud (there was also a Kojima Productions mascot there).
For a bit of background, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud is president of the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS) and the Arab eSports Federation. He is also vice president of the Global Esports Federation.
This picture has led many to surmise that some kind of business deal is being worked on behind the scenes at Kojima Productions. And, well, not too many are exactly thrilled by this potential partnership. (It should be noted, others have also shared images of themselves with Kojima and this mascot at the studio).
"Kojima the Saudi's are a main pillar supporting the modern day war economy you predicted in your 2008 opus Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots!" wrote one follower (with a full use of capitals).
Another added this is a "Rare L from Hideo Kojima", while Bungie's Andrew Elmore simply replied: "Dammit dude come on."
Here are a few more reactions to Kojima's recent meet and greet:
On the plus side, at least Kojima wasn't meeting with Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Right? The country's hugely-controversial Prince set up Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which now has investments in Nintendo, Capcom, Nexon, EA, Activision Blizzard and Take-Two, and owns a majority of SNK.
As for Kojima Productions, Death Stranding 2 was officially announced at the end of last year. Since then, Kojima has been occasionally releasing shots of its actors and behind the scenes peaks, although we still know very little about the game itself.