Japanese games publisher Konami has been at the center of a recent controversy leading to speculation that Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has left the company.

The news was given further credence when Kojima’s name had mysteriously been scrubbed from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’s box art and the official website for Kojima Productions, MGS V‘s development team, had been taken down.

It’s since been revealed that Kojima Productions is no more and has been absorbed by Konami.

Despite no longer spear-heading development at Kojima Productions, Hideo Kojima will be contracted to work on future Metal Gear Solid games. He will not reprise his role as a Konami executive while working in this capacity.

Kotaku reports that Konami has finally delivered official word after being persistently taciturn on the subject, but their responses are quite vague and deflective.

今回ＫＯＮＡＭＩ全社での制作体制の変更に伴い、小島プロダクションも他社内プロダクションと同様に、制作本部体制へと移行した為、名称なども変更となりました。組織・名称は変更となりましたが、これまで通りMGSV:TPPは小島監督の元、従来のメンバーにより制作が進められています。

— メタルギア公式 (@metalgear_jp) March 25, 2015

“In accordance with the recent change in production organization of all of Konami, Kojima Productions, as well as other internal production companies, has had its name, etc., changed to move into the corporate headquarters work structure,” Konami said in a recent Tweet.

The studio confirmed what we knew already, saying that Kojima is continuing to work on The Phantom Pain with the existing members of Kojima Productions.

“The name and organization has changed, but as before, MGSV: TPP is continuing as a work from director Kojima and the existing team members.”

小島監督も自らゲームをプレー、細部まで確認・スタッフへ指示を出し完成に向けて制作を進めています。小島監督の思いとアイデア、かつてないボリュームをオープンワールドでお届けするTPPの制作は本当に大変ですが、監督をはじめチーム一丸となり完成を目指していますので温かく応援をお願いします

— メタルギア公式 (@metalgear_jp) March 25, 2015

“Director Kojima is playing the game, checking all the small details and giving directions to the staff as the title continues to completion.

“Bringing the thoughts and ideas of director Kojima in an open world game of the size of TPP is incredibly difficult, the director and the team that’s been there from the start are coming together as one as they aim to finish the game, so please give them the support they need.”

Konami pretty much asserts what we already know, talking in so much PR-speak that it’s hard to actually get a straight answer.

It’s strange how they keep dancing around the points, but seeing as Kojima has such a huge impact on the company as a whole, it’s not surprising Konami wants to keep the surprise under wraps as long as possible.

And there’s still no official word on whether or not Silent Hills is still in the works or not. We probably won’t ever hear official clarification on that one.

Hideo Kojima represents one of Konami’s biggest all-stars, but the company’s recent restructuring has jeopardized everything–including the fate of the Metal Gear Solid franchise.

Essentially Konami is changing, and Kojima Productions was directly affected by the restructuring. Who knows what other games, studios and franchises this shuffle will affect moving forward.

Without Kojima the Japanese publisher will have a hard time keeping gamers interesting in the Metal Gear Solid series, and the company is already soiling its reputation by obfuscating the truth.

The restructuring has put even more stress on key team members, too. Konami’s new regime has created an environment that fosters the “undivided attention to development”. This pretty much lending credence to the reports of in-office e-mail, phone and internet being restricted for the employees.

With this in mind it’s no wonder Hideo Kojima called it quits.

Source: Kotaku

The post Konami Responds To Hideo Kojima Controversy appeared first on VR World.

There are some games that transport us to faraway worlds of myth and magic, but the new Silent Hill game opens a window to madness.

The game is is playable now as a demo named P.T. on the PlayStation Store, and fair warning, it’s terrifying on a psychological level. It’s since been revealed that P.T. is the codename for  Konami’s new Silent Hill game entitled “Silent Hill”s. Sony showed off an illuminating trailer for the game during their Gamescom presentation.

Silent Hills marks an interesting collaboration between renown film director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Pacific Rim) and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima, and so far both industry greats have proven to be masters of macabre.

Norman Reedus of Walking Dead fame also stars as the game’s central character.

Shadow and light play an integral role in establishing the mood of Silent Hills, making it an absorbing if not unnerving experience.

The demo itself chronicles a Shining-esque tale of a man who’s been possessed by some harrowing evil, who ultimately succumbs to  terribly unspeakable things to his family. A rash of same-such bloody incidents has broken out in the region, all of which appear to be incited by a supernatural force straight from the hellish bowels of Silent Hill.

Throughout the game the environments slowly change over time to reflect the man’s slow transition into madness–and eventually they become the stuff of nightmares.

The experience is hard to put into words, and really it’s a mix of Outlast’s thrilling scares with deep symbolism and some of the creepiest, most effective psychological horror I’ve seen in any entertainment medium.

The key of Silent Hills‘ mastery is that it uses its transitional atmospheres and everyday objects like radios, telephones, refrigerators, bathroom sinks and mirrors to relay disturbing sounds and visuals of the purest form.

A talking paper bag also challenges your sanity in an unnerving way, spouting disconcerting dialog that’s as memorable as it is odd.

The farther you go into the madness, the more it starts to resonate with utter chaos and malevolence, until finally the entire house is mired in blood-right light. At it’s heart, though, the game is an enigmatic puzzler that is punishingly hard and leaves us trembling in horror while the shadows whisper indecipherable chants in our ears.

The lunacy becomes more and more apparent the more you progress in the demo, and eventually you come across a blood-tinted labyrinth of hideous animated paintings.

It’s a nice change of pace to come across a game that makes us think, and getting to the next stage is accompanied by both elation and dread because you know there’s something bad waiting for you outside. Silent Hills aka P.T. is a unique mix of raw, visceral pandemonium and mind-bending puzzler that seems to transcend the current genre boundaries to create a whole new type of game.

There are no concrete details on a release date for Silent Hills, but it’ll definitely hit on the PlayStation 4.

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