March 28, 2024

The deteriorating relationship between Konami and Hideo Kojima continues as the publisher has now decided to remove all references to the Metal Gear Solid creator from the box art for The Phantom Pain.

The Japanese voice actor for Snake had previously confirmed the closure of Kojima Productions via a tweet .

This is a shocking state of affairs considering Kojima has repeatedly stated he will be committed to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain up to the game’s release , despite his sour relations with Konami .  Fan backlash towards Konami is expected , and already forums are filling up with protests from Kojima fans .

The new cover, spotted by NeoGAF, was uploaded by Konami yesterday.

And here’s the new one:

In the bottom left of each cover the Kojima Productions logo has been removed, while “A Hideo Kojima Game” is also absent from just below the console masthead.

With the huge fanbase that Kojima has , this might end up affecting the sales for MGS : V . Konami is just shooting themselves in the foot here .

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is scheduled to release on PlayStation 3 and 4, and Xbox 360 and One, on September 1. The PC release is on September 15.