Hideo Kojima is one of the biggest names in the world of video games. The prolific creator of Metal Gear Solid, Kojima is the closest thing to a celebrity that the game industry has.
That makes this latest bit of news all the more shocking - Metal Gear Solid publisher Konami looks to be breaking apart from Kojima and his team, as Konami has removed Kojima's name from Metal Gear Solid promotional sites and materials, as well as rebranding one of their studios from Kojima Productions Los Angeles to Konami Los Angeles.
Gamespot reports that the members of Kojima Productions, including Kojima himself, have been stripped of their employee status. Kojima and his team are now to be considered contractors as they finish their work on Metal Gear Solid V, and will not have access to Konami corporate emails and knowledge. Kojima's team will also have limited opportunities to promote their upcoming game. Gamespot's anonymous source from within Kojima Productions says the studio's upper management will be leaving Konami upon completing Metal Gear Solid V.
Metal Gear Solid titles have always featured the tagline "A Hideo Kojima Game", but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. Promotional websites and materials for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain no longer bear his name. Here is a screenshot of the old website:
And one of the new. Notice how Kojima's name is no longer above the title.
It's not just The Phantom Pain either - his name has been removed from the Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection boxart and the cover for Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes as well. The Kojima Productions website now redirects to Konami's Metal Gear Solid portal site.
Adding even more fuel to the speculative fire is that the the @Kojima_Pro_Live twitter account, previously the official Twitter account for the Metal Gear Series, has been decommissioned in favor of @metalgear_en.
MGS fans! We’re officially moving accounts to: @metalgear_en Follow us now and don’t miss out on all the latest news! https://t.co/IrqnUOKYds
— Kojima Pro Live (@Kojima_Pro_Live) March 19, 2015
Konami announced it would be restructing the company on March 16. Kojima is no longer listed as an executive officer. As if this wasn't all strange enough, Kojima himself posted this cryptic tweet on March 16.
Heading off. pic.twitter.com/JWyh4DbeIY” — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) March 16, 2015
Kojima said just a few weeks ago The Phantom Pain would be his last Metal Gear Solid title, even though he said similar statements about Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4. In light of all this recent news, it seems like Kojima may have been telling the truth.
Konami so far hasn't said much. In a statement to Videogamer.com, Konami had this to say about the entire situation:
"Konami Digital Entertainment, including Mr. Kojima, will continue to develop and support Metal Gear products. Please look forward to future announcements."
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is scheduled for release Sept. 1 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
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