The partnership between Konami and "Metal Gear Solid" creator Hideo Kojima may not be officially over, but the people in and around the video game industry certainly feel as though the end of the relationship is a foregone conclusion.
Rumors of the company and one of its most experienced talents splitting up began making the rounds back in March. Kojima was supposedly set to leave the company after an internal power struggle left both him and his team on the outs with Konami. The story reportedly came from a Konami insider, according to Gamespot.
In the aftermath of the rumor coming out, both Konami and Kojima attempted a bit of damage control, with the latter saying he would be fully involved in the creation of the upcoming "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain." It now appears as though Kojima was merely paying lip service to Konami and to the fans who still believed the relationship had a chance as everything that's happened since then seemingly points to the two parties separating one way or another.
Incidents which could lead fans to believe the split is inevitable include Kojima's name being removed from several promotional materials in which he is involved in, and these incidents happened more than once. What appears to be the nail in the coffin of the Konami-Kojima relationship is the recent cancellation of the upcoming game "Silent Hills."
Kojima and acclaimed director Guillermo Del Toro were scheduled to direct the game together, but Konami has shelved those plans for now, according to Polygon. The cancellation comes in the wake of "P.T.," the game's playable teaser, actually doing well, and if that was not enough to coerce Konami into continuing the title, then perhaps the relationship is indeed beyond repair.
Interestingly, Konami and Kojima released a statement last month saying that more "Metal Gear Solid" games will be coming in the future, but it appears as though the man who actually made the game will no longer be a part of developing those titles, according to PC Gamer.
As for now, fans can only wait until September 1 for the release of "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" to see what may be the last game made by both Konami and Kojima.
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