It's Official: Kojima Has Left Konami and Started his Own Studio

After months of speculations, gossip, a churn or two at the rumor mill, anonymous insider sources, and unusual behavior, it’s finally happened. The Konami/Kojima conflict, the event that’s gripped the gaming world since the omission of ‘A Hideo Kojima Production’ on the box cover of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain… it’s finally at an end.

According to a report posted by Japanese website Nikkei, not only has Kojima officially left Konami (must be one heck of a vacation there, Konami) he’s started his own studio independent of his former employer. While this report was scant on several key details, such as the name of the studio, the size, what they’d be working on, etc… it did suggest he was in talks with Sony to produce games for the PS4. This report was later confirmed by Sony itself, which has officially revealed that Kojima will be making an exclusive PS4 title, and that the name of his new production company would be Kojima Productions.

Check out the video:



It’s important to note that while Kojima productions will be making this game for Sony, it is NOT a Sony Studio--it’s an independent studio in an exclusivity deal with Sony.

This is, of course, exciting news for the gaming world at large, the grand ‘return’ of one of it’s more brilliant minds--he’s not even using Kickstarter or anything to do it, either--but this happy ending still have a sour note. Kojima will have to leave the franchise he poured his heart and soul into, Metal Gear Solid, back with Konami, who WILL continue to develop new games for the franchise with or without him. But still, I’m exciting to see what new games we get from the brand-new Kojima Productions. Godspeed, Hideo.