Hideo Kojima gone from Konami

Update: According to a report translated by Kotaku, Konami has claimed that Kojima is merely on a long vacation following development on Metal Gear Solid V. “Currently, Kojima is listed as a company employee... Kojima and the development team are finished developing Metal Gear Solid V and are taking a long time off from work,” said the spokesperson.

The Konami representative was asked about the farewell party for Kojima that reporter Simon Parkin referenced in The New Yorker, but Konami commented, "We're not sure what kind of thing this was." Parkin, on the other hand, seems pretty sure. He responded with a tweet of the actual party.

Original story:

Hideo Kojima has parted ways with Konami. The Metal Gear franchise director's departure had been expected for months, and The New Yorker reports that it finally took place earlier this month.

According to the report, Kojima's last day was October 9, spelling an end to his nearly three-decade tenure with Konami. Kojima declined to speak with the reporter, citing an agreement with his previous employer, but one unnamed person who attended the developer's "departure ceremony" said there were about 100 guests in attendance, but no sign of Konami president Hideki Hayakawa or CEO Sadaaki Kaneyoshi. The report also notes that Kojima has a non-compete clause that will expire in December.

Evidence of a rift between Kojima and Konami first appeared in March, when the publisher removed Kojima's name from marketing materials and promotional art for a number of games. At the time, it was reported that Kojima and other senior developers were finishing up work on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain as contractors, and planning to sever ties with the company completely by year's end. Konami responded to the reports by merely saying it was looking for new developers to lead future installments in the Metal Gear franchise.