A report has surfaced on Tuesday saying that "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" creator Hideo Kojima is no longer connected to both Konami and Kojima Productions. It was said that Kojima has officially separated from the company on Oct. 9, and a source claims that a departure program has been offered to Kojima, a report from Gamespot said.
The New Yorker reports that the departure ceremony for Kojima was attended by more than 100 guests, according to a source who asked for anonymity. The source describes the ceremony as "a rather cheerful, but also emotional goodbye." The source also added that the company's president, Hideki Hayakawa, and CEO, Sadaaki Kaneyoshi, were absent at the ceremony.
"Kojima has a non-compete clause that expires in December (which we'd heard previously). The specifics of this aren't clear, but it likely means he'll have to wait until then before being able to sign on with another company," Gamespot said.
It can be recalled that Kojima's departure from the company has been previously reported after the "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" was released on September 1. "A power struggle between Konami and Kojima Productions, the Kojima-led studio responsible for Metal Gear Solid, resulted in senior staff having limited access to emails, phone calls, and corporate Internet," the report said.
The Verge reports that although there's no official statement from Konami about Kojima's departure from the company, industry experts speculate that "the lengthy and expensive development process of the most recent Metal Gear Solid games was too much for a Konami." It was emphasized that the company is "refocusing on cheaper, faster, and more profitable mobile games.
"MGS V saw critical success and made $179 million on its launch day alone, but the game cost the company an estimated $80 million to develop," the report noted.
