We are all aware of the tension between developer Hideo Kojima and Konami. It seems that Kojima was aware of the split for some time now.
According to a gameplay video posted online, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes alluded to Kojima’s departure from Konami. Uploaded to YouTube by user TimeSplitter88, the video shows Ground Zeroes’ Deja Vu Mission, in which players take control of Metal Gear Solid era Snake and recreate scenes from the original PlayStation title. It seems there was a sub-mission that hinted at Kojima leaving Konami.
In the sub-mission, players must find logos for games from the Metal Gear franchise. When logos for games directed by Kojima are found, they disappear. This could be a warning from Kojima, as Konami removed the Kojima Productions logo from official artwork of previous Metal Gear titles, as well as references from them being “A Hideo Kojima Game.”
When a logo for a game not directed by Kojima is found, it is dismissed by Kaz, with him stating “Looks like that’s nothing special.”
Eventually, Kaz will give a line that addresses the split: “You might be able to erase the marking, but the memories will never disappear.”
Sources close to Kojima Productions have stated that Kojima is expected to leave the studio following the completion of The Phantom Pain. The team’s contract runs until December.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will release on September 1st. The game will release on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The game will release on PC two weeks later.