Kojima’s rumored departure might hurt Metal Gear, Silent Hills, but consoles aren’t Konami’s focus anymore

The drama behind the scenes of Metal Gear Solid companies Konami and Kojima Productions is heating up.

Whispers started to swirl this morning that Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has left Konami. This started because the publisher has removed references to Kojima Productions from many of its websites. The company has also stripped “A Hideo Kojima game” from artwork for The Phantom Pain. But Konami has said that the legendary designer is still plugging away at Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which is due out in September. But now the rumors have evolved to suggest that Kojima and his staff at Kojima Productions are working as contract employees only until they complete Phantom Pain, reports GameSpot. Konami is a company that made around $563 million in revenues from video games through the first nine months of its current fiscal year, but it’s also made more than $700 million from its other businesses.