UPDATE: In a tweet made at 1:00 AM EST on December 16, 2015, Hideo Kojima confirmed that he has left Konami. Soon after, Sony released a video announcing that the first title from Kojima's new studio (once again named Kojima Productions) will be part of a "new franchise" made in partnership with PlayStation and will be a console exclusive to the PS4. Check out the video below.
Find the original story below.
For the last few months there's been a lot of speculation about what Metal Gear Solid director Hideo Kojima would do once he left Konami. Would he keep making games? Maybe try his hand at film direction? Was he jumping ship to join another publisher?
Well, a new Nikkei report provides us with at least a few answers. Kojima will be starting a new studio with former employees of the Konami-owned Kojima Productions. The Nikkei notes that the studio will be making console games for platforms like the PlayStation 4, but there isn't much information as to the scope or content of those games. The Nikkei also confirmed that Kojima's contractual obligations with Konami ended today, December 15th, which lines up with earlier reports.
Kojima and Konami have cast a large shadow over the games industry this year. From the cancellation of PT, to the rumors of a reduction in Kojima's involvement in Metal Gear Solid V, to a stunning report on Konami's harsh and unfair working conditions, hardly a month has gone by without some serious discussion about the company and its most well known employee. And that's to say nothing about the splash that Metal Gear Solid V made this fall--or the rough, game-changing updates that followed soon after.
I'm curious to see what will come from this. Maybe it's cynical--or maybe it's just a sign of the times--but I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Kojima on stage at E3 announcing a Kickstarter campaign. Regardless, I'm excited to see what a post-Metal Gear Kojima will make. I just hope it has giant robots in it.