The ongoing saga of Hideo Kojima and Konami continues to engulf the gaming industry. A new report published by The New Yorker states that the Metal Gear creator officially parted ways with his employer of 29 years on October 9.
It also mentions details of Kojima's official sending off ceremony, which was attended by 100 or so employees of his Kojima Productions team. The event was described as "a rather cheerful but also emotional goodbye."
This news seemingly validates many of the rumors that have swirled throughout the year regarding the fractured relationship between the two parties.
Eariler this year, Konami shuttered Silent Hills; the survival horror title he was working on together with director Guillermo Del Toro and Walking Dead star Norman Reedus. P.T., the short playable demo that teased the project, was also removed from the Playstation store and is now unable to be downloaded.
In July, Japanese voice actor Akio Otsuka posted a tweet, saying that Kojima Productions had officially been dissolved.
コジプロは解散させられてしまったが、チームの奮闘により作品はどうやらほぼ完成となった。掛け値なしに最高の傑作となった筈！早く「待たせたな」と言いたくて仕方ない(笑)これが最期になったとしとも…MGS は 不滅 です！ コジプ... https://t.co/9zeTNDpNxp
— 大塚 明夫 (@AkioOtsuka) July 10, 2015
"Kojima Productions got dissolved, and due to the team's hard effort, the game is just about finished. This is no exaggeration, but it's bound to be a supreme masterpiece! I can't help it if I want to say, 'I kept you waiting.' Even if this is the last time ... MGS lives forever!" It reads.
Despite all this, Konami continues to deny that Kojima has left the company. A report from Kotaku states that Kojima is 'on vacation'. The article cites a quote Konami made to japanese news site Tokyo Sports that says:
"Currently, Kojima and the development team are finished developing Metal Gear Solid V and are taking a long time off from work."
