There's precedent for this type of corporate behavior in Japan. This is from an article I read last spring. http://www.cracked.com/article_24004_6-insane-ways-companies-screw-over-their-employees.html

It's number 2 on the list. I've read similar stories prior to this as well.

Disgusting.

We need to start some mock Glass Door Employee Reviews for Konami.

Not surprising. Konami wanted Kojima to quit the project, hence the insane conditions and the unfinished feel of the final product.

Yeah agree. I don't think we should take 'locked in a room' literally. I think it's another way of saying he was segregated from the developing team which is also quite bad.

I do remember hearing of the awful working conditions Konami employees have but this seems a bit extreme and I have my doubts this actually happened, to be honest :/

Do you people not know this is a common practice in Japanese business? They put you in a different area til you quit. Sony does this as well. Nintendo did it to Gunpei Yokoi after Virtual Boy and then he left to create Wonder Swan only to die the day of presentation being hit by a car. Nintendo then later accepted his lifetime achievement award. This is not uncommon for an Employee to be a Milton until they quit themselves.

I'm all for those "poor him" stories and all, but I'm actually wondering more on what he had them toss into the endless money pit.

I think you might mean "had them take away from the endless money pile". Is there any evidence of his run at Konami being anything other than totally profitable? On every individual project, let alone overall? I'm feeling green......

I'm not feeling too green...

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mgs-5-phantom-pain-cost-konami-over-80m-fuelling-speculation-hideo-kojima-split-1513796

I don't really see Kojima as the good samritan that is free from all blame though. I love some of his games but I'm not going to say he's an objectively good genius and extremely, very wise with money.