Shinji Hirano, Former Konami Europe President, Is New President At Kojima Productions
When Hideo Kojima, the famed video game developer behind Metal Gear, left Konami to start his own studio, he took producer Kenichiro Imaizumi and artist Yoji Shinkawa with him. Today we can add Shinji Hirano to the list of former Konami employees.
Hirano at Konami. Hirano left his role as Konami U.S. president and took on the role of Konami Europe president in 2012. He took over the role of the original president, Kunio Neo.
Hirano, who has been with Konami since 2005, is now the new president of Kojima Productions. What came as a bigger shock to most gamers was that Hirano's start date according to his LinkedIn account was November 2016.
Kojima Productions' first anniversary was 3 days ago, on December 15. Hideo Kojima is one of the world's most renowned video game designers and the creator of the Metal Gear franchise under Konami. He started working in the company in 1986 and has worked on dozens of video games, becoming one of the most famous Konami employees in its history, until last year.
In December of 2015, Kojima moved on from Konami and started his own independent studio: Kojima Productions. His new endeavor was announced in a video posted on the office PlayStation YouTube channel. This was posted nearly one year ago.
"My employment contract with Konami has been terminated as of Dec 15th, so today marks a new start for me," Kojima posted on his twitter account. "I'm committed to be involved in creative activities for as long as I live. Look forward to what's coming."
Kojima Productions Under Hirano. While Hirano's move came as a definite shock, it is not surprising that Kojima Productions is on the move. This is possibly the first of many employee transfers from Konami to Kojima.
Kojima Productions' first game, Death Stranding, is still one big mystery. Based on the trailers and Kojima's past work, it looks as though the game will definitely leave ripples in the gaming world with its complex plot and gameplay.
