It was a relatively slow week for news in the gaming industry. But, there was more on the Kojima versus Konami controversy and a win for female representation in sports and games.

Kojima shows signs he knew of his departure in his previous game

“Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” is the anticipated sequel to the high quality stealth-action series set to release on Sept. 1.

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This is creator and gaming icon Hideo Kojima’s final Metal Gear game. He is set to depart Konami, the game’s publisher, upon the game’s release because of controversy between himself and the company.

While the public does not know what has transpired between Kojima and Konami, it is clear there was some drama or disagreement going on between the two.

Before anyone knew there was contention between the two parties, Kojima might’ve given a hint of his departure in his most recently released game, “Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes.”

This was spotted by Gamesradar.com on July 20, during a mission in the game. In this mission, the player is tasked with running around a base erasing logos found in the environment of all Metal Gear games directed under Kojima. 

Upon removing them all, a message plays saying, “You might be able to erase the markings but the memories will never disappear.” 

A second message from Kojima himself is given to the player thanking them for all their support.

There’s no way to know for sure if this was Kojima foreshadowing the dramatic events around Metal Gear these past few months, but it certainly seems to imply the issues have been going on for a long while.

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‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” patch 1.07 released

CD Projekt RED, the creators of the Witcher series, have been known for supporting their games long after launch.

Since releasing the masterpiece quality game, “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,” they have released one or two pieces of free downloadable content for the game every week.

They also plan to have two expansion packs for the game later in the year, which combined will add up to the length of the previous game in the series, “The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.”

The trend continued this past week in a big way. On July 19, patch 1.07 was introduced to the game with a myriad of tweaks and gameplay improvements.

The standout improvements are a much more manageable inventory system, a more reactive and responsive movement system for controlling the avatar and a place for the players to store valuable items.

‘Shenmue III’ kickstarter breaks records

The Shenmue games are a cult classic series. The last game in the series was “Shenmue II” in 2001. The game left us on a cliff hanger and fans have been wanting a sequel for 14 years.

Most people assumed the franchise was over with, but at Sony’s press conference, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, they surprised fans by announcing a kickstarter for “Shenmue III.”

Kickstarer.com is a website where creators can put up their ideas and promote it, allowing anyone to help fund their projects. As of July 17, “Shenmue III” broke the record for most funded video game in kickstarter history.

The exact number at the kickstarter’s completion was $6,333,295, beating out  the previous record of $5,545,991, held by “Bloodstained.”

This is surprising given the franchise never sold very well. This project’s existence at all is also surprising, but situations like this are exactly what kickstarter is for. Clearly there is enough interest for this game to fund it and break a few records along the way.

The game’s kickstarter fund also reached $1 million faster than any other video game fund.

Yu Suzuki, the creator of the series, had this to say to all those who helped fund for the project, “You and I have had a shared dream for the past 14 years. Now it is time to make our dream of Shenmue III a reality.”

‘Fifa 16’ to include female players on cover

“Fifa 16” is the next entry in the popular soccer simulator from EA Sports.

This entry in the series stands out because for the first time it will feature playable female athletes.

While this is a big deal in and of itself, EA Sports is taking it to the next level and will now feature female players on the cover of the game alongside soccer superstar Lionel Messi of Futbol Club Barcelona and the Argentina national football team. 

Recent women’s World Cup champion Alex Morgan will appear on the cover in the United States. Christine Sinclair will appear on the cover in Canada. In Australia, a poll was taken and Steph Catley won.

This is great news for both women and gaming as the industry becomes more inclusive to all people.