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.

UPDATE: GameSpot reports that an inside source claims that Hideo Kojima will indeed leave Konami once Metal Gear Solid V is finished, and that he’ll come on as a contractor for future projects.

“After we finish MGSV, Mr. Kojima and upper management will leave Konami. They said their contract ends in December,” the inside source told GameSpot.

The fate of Silent Hills, Kojima’s next project, is iffy at this point, and we’ve yet to hear official word on the game’s status. There’s a likely chance that the horror collaboration will be cancelled considering Kojima won’t have creative control over the game’s development.

Original story is as follows.

Something strange is going on between Konami and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima, and it appears that the Japanese publisher might have lost one of its key talents.

Earlier today it was discovered that Konami has removed all mentions of Hideo Kojima’s development team, Kojima Productions, from the official Metal Gear Solid V website.

Additionally the “a Hideo Kojima game” header has been removed on the website’s splash page. Take a quick look and compare a previous archived version to the new sans Kojima Pro format.

But this redaction ins’t just for Metal Gear Solid V, as it looks like Konami has scrubbed any mention of the dev team and the iconic header from Ground Zeroes as well as the Legacy Collection games. Here’s a quick before and after shot to confirm.

On the heels of this move, the official Kojima Productions’ Twitter account announced that a new account would be taking over news updates on the social media platform. Kojima Pro’s official website now also redirects to a consolidated portal on the Konami domain.

MGS fans! We’re officially moving accounts to: @metalgear_en Follow us now and don’t miss out on all the latest news! http://t.co/IrqnUOKYds

— Kojima Pro Live (@Kojima_Pro_Live) March 19, 2015

Furthermore it looks like Kojima is no longer a Konami executive. Effective April 1, 2015 (yes, that’s April Fool’s day) the MGS creator’s name will be stricken from the corporate listing of company executives.

So what does this mean? Is Kojima free to taken on other projects and create games for other publishers besides Konami? Might we see another label handle the next Metal Gear Solid game? Or maybe Kojima is finally done with the fan-favorite mulit-decade franchise?

We already know Kojima is looking forward to tackling other projects, as he’s teamed up with high-profile movie director Guillermo del Toro to create the acclaimed horror game Silent Hills. The fate of Silent Hills might be in question, though, especially if Kojima Productions is folded into Konami Digital Entertainment.

If Kojima had a falling out with Konami, could he explore life beyond tactical espionage?

But Konami assures gamers that Kojima will be making more Metal Gear Solid games, and that the new releases will be under their label.

“Konami Digital Entertainment, including Mr. Kojima, will continue to develop and support Metal Gear products,” a Konami representative told VideoGamer. But the rep wouldn’t discuss what the website changes meant, and this point things seem very tight-lipped.

With Silent Hills, Kojima throws his hat into the ring of horror games alongside famed Hellboy 2 director Guillermo del Toro.

It looks like Konami might have bought out Hideo Kojima’s production company and absorbed it into Konami Digital Entertainment, with the exception of Kojima himself. Kojima might lend his talents to the continuation of the franchise, but he might not be at the helm of development, which could be disastrous for the series.

Earlier this month Konami shifted around key personnel, so there might be a plausible connection here between the restructuring and Kojima’s demotion as company executive.

The gaming community isn’t taking the news very well, which is to be expected, and the future of the series is looking bleak. Long-time fans are stepping forward to condemn and ridicule the company for removing Kojima’s name from the games.

The story is still developing and we’ll be sure to update you once more information comes to light. Although exact details are fuzzy, it remains pretty clear that that something strange is happening, and Hideo Kojima might be free of Konami’s hold at last.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is still on track for a release on September 1, 2015 on consoles, and Sept. 15 on PC.

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