Uh oh, it may be time to stuff the corpse of once-proud video game publisher Konami in a locker. It looks like Metal Gear Solid mastermind Hideo Kojima may have left the company.
Internet sleuths have have dug up all sorts of information to support this. Konami released a new list of company executives, and Kojima is no longer on it. The Metal Gear Solid V website has removed “A Hideo Kojima Game” from the game’s title, and Kojima Productions logos have been removed from the site. Kojima Productions’ website now redirects to the Metal Gear Solid homepage, and the Kojima Productions Twitter account is encouraging fans to follow the Metal Gear Solid V account instead.
All of this combined would seem to point towards Kojima leaving Konami, and Kojima Productions possibly dissolving. Kojima has been saying that Metal Gear Solid V would be his final game in the series, but nobody really took him seriously (he’s said that many times before), and most people didn’t think he’d leave Konami and Kojima Productions behind…
“With Metal Gear Solid 5, I’m finally closing the loop on that saga. In that sense, this will be the final Metal Gear Solid. Even if the Metal Gear franchise continues, to me, this is the last Metal Gear.”
Konami has issued a very carefully worded statement on the situation…
“Konami Digital Entertainment, including Mr. Kojima, will continue to develop and support Metal Gear products. Please look forward to future announcements.”
Not exactly a straightforward “Kojima isn’t leaving” denial. Note, they don’t say Kojima Productions will be working on future Metal Gear Solid stuff, and while they say Kojima himself will work on future games in the series, there’s no mention of his role. It’s possible he could just be a freelance consultant or something.
By the way, this is Kojima’s most recent tweet…
Heading off.pic.twitter.com/JWyh4DbeIY”
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) March 16, 2015
Heading off to where, exactly? I suppose we’ll see.
Via VG 24/7