Yesterday we reported that Japanese voice actor and voice of Solid Snake Akio Otsuka had tweeted that Kojima Productions had been dissolved. While that claim still has not been verified by publisher Konami, yet another clue has been found that Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima’s relationship with the company is nearing its end.
Today a thread appeared on gaming forum NeoGAF showing that the box art for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain had been slightly altered. Specifically, all references to Kojima are now gone from the new box art.
Most notably the words “A Hideo Kojima Game” are no longer displayed above the title at the top of the box. The Kojima Productions logo is also no longer displayed at the bottom left of the box, next to the Fox Interactive logo.
This isn’t the first time this has happened with Metal Gear Solid V. Earlier this year, Kojima’s name was removed from branding related to the game, sparking rumors that he would be parting ways with Konami. So far there has been no official confirmation of this, but evidence has been stacking up.
In April, the Kojima Productions logo was removed from the website for Silent Hills. Later that month both the game’s co-director Guillermo del Toro and actor Norman Reedus said that the game was canceled, but Konami denied the rumors. On April 27, Konami pulled the plug on the game.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, on the other hand, is certainly not canceled. Last month we got a hands-on look at the game, and while the story surrounding its development may not be a happy one, the game itself is shaping up to be something special.
The latest game in the Metal Gear saga is set for a September 1 release, and while this is likely the final game from Kojima Productions, it seems that the studio will go out on a high note.
