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Konami Reportedly Blacklisting Ex-Employees Across Japanese Video Game Industry (arstechnica.com)
The Nikkei Asian Review newspaper is reporting that the Japanese entertainment company Konami is blacklisting former employees in the Japanese video game industry. "The company is particularly targeting those who work for Kojima Productions, which was founded in 2016 by Hideo Kojima, who used to be a top designer at Konami," reports Ars Technica. From the report: Furthermore, according to the article, Konami is pressuring other companies not to hire its former employees. As the Nikkei Asian Review wrote: "One ex-Kon described his surprise at learning that Konami had instructed an employee at a television company not to deal with its former employees. In another case, a former Konami executive was forced to close his business due to pressure from the gaming giant. Ex-Kons are not allowed to put their Konami experience on their public resumes. 'If you leave the company, you cannot rely on Konami's name to land a job,' explained a former employee. If an ex-Kon is interviewed by the media, the company will send that person a letter through a legal representative, in some cases indicating that Konami is willing to take them to court."
If Konami put half as much effort into developing their games as they apparently do into harassing their former employees, maybe they wouldn't get so much hate from gamers.
Maybe it doesn't feel like it in the US, but their Bemani division (the division that produces all of their rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution, Pop'n Music, Beatmania IIDX, etc) seems to be doing quite well. Beatmania IIDX just came out with it's 24th arcade installment this year and shows no signs of stopping.
It's not only lawful, it's not that uncommon a business practice. Konami is just being more open about it than most.
Japanese companies really feel that their employees are belongings more than people, although they'll try to phrase as 'in the family' or such. By leaving, you've betrayed Konami, stealing the experience you gathered working for them. You're trading on Konami's reputation and past works to benefit yourself - and Konami, like many Japanese companies, will not hesitate to get revenge.
Back in the 90s, it wouldn't be uncommon for a company to call up the new employer of an ex-employee and say something like "We have nothing to do with this individual's child pornography habits" or "We can confirm that the employee was never actually convicted of embezzlement". And, unsurprisingly, the ex-employee would often lost their new job. Even the rumor of a scandal could cost jobs, and with the personal ties between companies (from mom-and-pop shops to the great zaibatsu) being blacklisted in one place often meant losing access to dozens or hundreds of companies, or even entire industries.
Probably isn't legal, but that has never stopped Japanese companies pushing the boundaries of labour laws, and bullying their employees.
If you leave a traditionally minded Japanese company, they will bully you into staying. They will haul you into a meeting and scold you.
Then they will say things like "Why are you leaving the company! You can't! You still have work to do!"
And then say things like "After you leave and go to this other place, are you OK that we send you your unfinished work?"
Ridiculous of course to the western ear... but to the Japanese ear who has no spine and has been bullied all the way through school - some actually can't handle the pressure and the bullying and apologize and stay with the company! ... even when they've been offered better work!
If they stay, they get treated like backstabbing traitorous unfaithful dirt and paid less from what I heard.
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Mod Parent up.
The thing is that many employees who quit usually don't make a formal announcement that they are leaving, but instead will simply stop showing up to work... leaving no message to the old company and leaving no paper trail. Possibly changing phone numbers and rental apartment addresses before starting a new job so the old company can't track them.
That's how you avoid uncomfortable meetings with managers when you tell them you are leaving.
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It's not only lawful, it's not that uncommon a business practice. Konami is just being more open about it than most.
Being common business practice doesn't make it lawful. Japan has labor laws comparable to other advanced economies - weaker than Europe certainly, but stronger than the US's "at will" employment. The problem is a cultural aversion to rocking the boat and demanding the legal rights that they should have.