It’s been an uncertain few months for Konami’s relationship with Hideo Kojima, and the plot has thickened yet again. In a statement sent directly to Polygon, Konami confirmed yesterday's rumor: Kojima Productions Los Angeles is now closed. The studio had only been open for two years.
"Konami has made the decision to close its Los Angeles Studio, effective immediately, due to the product development resources being restructured into a more centralized unit," wrote Konami. "This facility contributed to the recent Metal Gear Solid games. Konami will continue its operations to support all Metal Gear Solid titles, including the recently launched Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and Metal Gear Online. Metal Gear Online is still scheduled to release for PC Steam in January 2016."
This announcement may be unsurprising given that the studio changed its name to Konami Los Angeles after Konami took Hideo Kojima's name off of the Metal Gear Solid box art, but it’s still a big deal. The studio was a major symbol of Konami’s expansion as a developer.
It's still unclear whether Kojima left Konami or not. Without a statement from Kojima himself, it's hard to say what his involvement will be in the Metal Gear franchise moving forward.
