Solid Snake’s voice actor, Akio Otsuka, took to Twitter to discuss the dissolution of Kojima Productions. His tweets are translated from Japanese, but there’s not much room for interpretation—the company behind the Metal Gear franchise is breaking up.
This year there’s been a lot of speculation surrounding Hideo Kojima’s activities. His name and Kojima Productions’ logo were removed from the Metal Gear website, and Silent Hills, the highly anticipated new Silent Hill game, was canceled abruptly and with little explanation.
The latest news is that Konami—of which Kojima Productions is a subsidiary—has taken Kojima’s name off Metal Gear Solid V’s box art. Metal Gear Solid V is the newest game in the series, and there were fears that it wouldn’t be made at all, given the strife between Kojima and Konami. Kojima’s statement was reassuring: “…I am 100% involved and will continue working on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain; I’m determined to make it the greatest game I’ve directed to date. Don’t miss it!” But the absence of his name speaks of, at best, tension behind the scenes.
Hideo Kojima’s name and the Kojima Productions logo have been removed from Metal Gear Solid V’s box art. Source: Ars Technica
Konami later apologized for any anxiety caused by its actions and promised that they would not be giving up console games, but that the company had undergone a significant restructuring.
