2015’s saga of the Kojima/Konami controversy appears to finally be at an end. Konami’s drama began earlier this year with rumors, the cancelation of Silent Hills, and even Kojima’s name being removed from box art of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Most recently at The Game Awards we all learned Kojima had been prevented from attending due to the intervention of a lawyer on behalf of Konami.
Today, a report from Japanese newspaper Nikkei has stated Hideo Kojima’s contract with Konami has finally come to an end and he’s officially left the publisher. Not only has this saga come to an end, but reports also indicate the legendary designer behind the Metal Gear Solid series is starting his own studio with former employees of Konami/Kojima Productions. A translation on NeoGAF by user Zefah also indicated Kojima is in negotiations with Sony to debut the game on the PlayStation platform.
Should all this be true, expect an official statement from the PlayStation camp sooner rather than later. We along with every other outlet have reached out to Sony for comment.
Fans of Kojima can certainly hope this is marks the end of the reported mistreatment by Konami. Though it’s not certain if we’ll hear from Kojima regarding what went on behind closed doors there. His deal may have included a post-work non disclosure agreement for who knows how long. If the new studio comes to fruition soon then it would serve as an indicator of what kind of deal was struck between both parties.
It’s also not out of reason to believe that Kojima’s next game might pick up where Silent Hills died though under a new IP. Perhaps a rekindling of the partnership with film visionary Guillermo Del Torro. It’s certainly fun to consider the possibilities of a Hideo Kojima unchained.
Currently MGS V: The Phantom Pain has won multiple GOTY awards and remains in the top ten most played multiplayer games since October. It’s been quite a catch 22 for gamers who want to support Kojima yet voice their displeasure over the situation to Konami. Handing over $60 to Konami for MGS V has been a bit of a necessary evil.
No “non-compete” clause?
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