Gamer's Outpost LLC

by Chris Mawson

The rift between Konami and Hideo Kojima looks to be intensifying, as the publisher has today effectively erased the Metal Gear creator’s name from series history.

It was well publicised yesterday that the studio had removed all Kojima Productions branding from promotional materials for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, following rumours that the game director and his team are set to part ways with Konami.

It seems they’ve gone even further than that, however, with Kojima’s name also being removed from the company’s back catalogue of Metal Gear titles, including Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and the Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection. Below are two screenshots: one taken from an archived version of the official Metal Gear website late last year, and one of how the site currently looks:

In related news, Konami issued a statement this morning in which it refused to confirm Kojima’s involvement with the company beyond the release of the Phantom Pain, while somewhat ominously announcing that it will be hiring a new development team to begin working on a new Metal Gear title following the conclusion of The Phantom Pain. The game’s September 1 release date is currently unaffected.