Are Konami and Hideo Kojima Parting Ways?

As it stands right now, things are getting pretty weird over at Konami when it comes to Hideo Kojima. The Internet erupted this morning over the cancellation of game Silent Hills, which was to be produced in tandem with director Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) and was to star The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus through motion capture.

While nothing has been confirmed for certain, apparently Hideo Kojima and Konami have been falling out. Chances are in fact very good that Hideo Kojima’s last project with Konami could be Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

But what will Konami do without Hideo Kojima? The Metal Gear series itself was practically Hideo Kojima’s brain child. It’s hard to imagine that Konami would stop producing future Metal Gear titles even without Kojima’s influence.

Konami hasn’t said anything concerning Hideo Kojima’s possible departure. In a series of Tweets, Konami indicated that while the internal production company behind Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is apparently changing, Hideo Kojima is still heavily involved with the production of Phantom Pain.

But afterwards? No word. Hideo Kojima’s Twitter and official pages remain free of any sign that there is conflict between him and Konami or that he has any indication of leaving the company.

For Kojima, the upcoming Silent Hills was his passion project. If the game’s cancellation is indeed true, it’s no wonder that Kojima could potentially be bitter. While we don’t know what circumstances are leading to some of Konami’s strange behaviors, including removing Kojima’s name from various projects, we can suspect that if Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions does stay with the company after Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’s release, it may be in a very different capacity.

But back in March, some of you may remember that Konami released a statement indicating that they were holding auditions for main staff members to develop the next title in the Metal Gear series. Konami, apparently, is hoping to develop a brand new Metal Gear series altogether. And it won’t be hard to imagine that this brand new series may not feature Hideo Kojima’s involvement at all. Or, if so, Kojima Productions involvement may be downplayed.

Chances don’t seem too good that Hideo Kojima will continue working with Konami in the same capacity after the release of Metal Gear Solid V. But whether he’s leaving or his involvement with the company will be downplayed is hard to say as of this time.