There are reports circulating that Kojima Productions and Konami have had a falling out as of late that may result in the departure of Hideo Kojima following the completion of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
The fallout has led to restricted access to corporate internet, emails, and phone services for all of the senior staff at the studio. A lot of the difficulties between the studios have been described as a power struggle which resulted in drastic changes to the Metal Gear Solid V staff.
Right now, it is believed that once this project ends, in which the contract ends in December, that there is the expectation of the team fully disbanding. To further this belief, Konami has already begun removing the Kojima logo from its branding and corporate subsidaries, including Metal Gear Solid V, the official website, and even their Twitter account.
An official statement from Konami reads as follows; “As we have already announced, we are shifting our production structure to a headquarters-controlled system, in order to establish a steadfast operating base capable of responding to the rapid market changes that surround our digital entertainment business. 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 set for release in September on PS3/PS4, Xbox 360/Xbox One, and PC.
