Hideo Kojima Has Left Konami

After a long morning of speculation, it's official: Hideo Kojima has left Konami after a fallout between the publisher and his game studio, Kojima Productions. 

GameSpot confirms that a power struggle between the studio and the publisher has led Konami to restrict Kojima's access to corporate email, internet, and phone. This extends to the rest of the senior staff at Kojima Productions as well. 

Hideo Kojima's name has been removed from all Metal Gear Solid V branding. That means that the title won't read "A Hideo Kojima Game." The Kojima Productions logo has been removed from all official art, Twitter, the official Metal Gear website, and their LA office. In fact, Kojima Productions will now be known as Konami Los Angeles Studio.

A source at the studio told GameSpot: "After we finish MGSV, Mr. Kojima and upper management will leave Konami. They said their contract ends in December. At a team meeting, Mr. Kojima explained that team have to be one and make a good game for fans."

Kojima, along with some of his senior staff, will stay on at Konami as contractors until Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is finished. The game is set to release on Sept. 1.

Kojima had previously said that this would be his final Metal Gear Solid game. But he was also set to develop the next Silent Hill game, Silent Hills, as revealed at last year's Gamescom. With his break from Konami, that game's future is now in doubt. I wrote more about Silent Hills' potential here. 

Konami offered a statement: "Konami Digital Entertainment, including Mr. Kojima, will continue to develop and support Metal Gear products. Please look forward to future announcements."

Kojima hasn't offered a statement as of yet, but his last Tweet on March 16 is more telling than we could've originally guessed:

Heading off.
pic.twitter.com/JWyh4DbeIY”

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) March 16, 2015

We'll keep you updated as soon as we learn more.