Konami is definitely going through a lot of changes, with not only the almost certain departure of Hideo Kojima, but the moving away from console gaming for the most part. We heard last night a rumor that they were shutting down one of their studios and now Konami has confirmed this sad news.
Rumors first surfaced courtesy of 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard, who said Konami was shuttering its Kojima Productions Los Angeles Studio. Based on his past information about the industry, we figured this information was legitimate and now it is official.
Polygon reached out to Konami about this rumor to get a response, and they responded by saying the following:
“Konami has made the decision to close its Los Angeles Studio, effective immediately, due to the product development resources being restructured into a more centralized unit.”
This is really sad to hear, especially with word that 35 employees are losing their jobs as a result of this closure.
Kojima Productions Los Angeles Studio not only helped on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, but they also were the developer for the latest iteration of Metal Gear Online. The good news is that Konami confirmed that Konami themselves will continue to support all Metal Gear titles, including Online. They also said that Metal Gear Online is still scheduled for its January release for PC.
