First reported by Nikkei, Hideo Kojima has officially left to start a new game studio with many former members of Kojima Studios and Konami. It was also revealed that he is having talks with Sony about releasing their first game as a PlayStation exclusive.
Konami has also confirmed the report that Kojima has left.
It had been speculated ever since the dispute with Konami’s leadership became public that Kojima would leave after the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It was reported back in October by The New Yorker that Kojima last day was on October 9 but Konami claimed he was only on vacation.
For the gaming world, Kojima departure will finally bring an end to the dispute that has caused so much controversy. News of the breakdown became public when Kojima Studios was removed from all promotional material for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Next came the controversial decision to cancel Silent Hills, the planed reboot of the iconic horror game that was being developed by Kojima alongside Guillermo del Toro and Junji Ito.
The biggest low came only a few weeks ago during the Game Awards 2015 when Kojima was not present to accept his award. Geoff Keighley announced during the ceremony that Kojima was supposed to attend but was barred by Konami. Many in the gaming industry were quick to denounce and condemn Konami.
Despite all that has happened, Hideo Kojima has remained silent on the matter and has not said anything about Konami. Unfortunately for gamers, Konami still owns the rights to the Metal Gear series.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the tenth game in the series and was universally praised as one of the best games for the Next-Gen consoles. Currently it has been nominated for many “Game of the Year” awards from gaming publications and industry groups.
