Hideo Kojima leaves Konami, launches new studio

Hideo Kojima has officially confirmed his departure from publisher Konami, despite denials from the company, and the formation of a new studio: Kojima Productions.

Best known for the long-running Metal Gear series, Kojima has been having troubles with publisher Konami for some time - largely, critics have suggested, due to the company's decision to concentrate its efforts on profit-heavy pachinko machines rather than developmentally-expensive video games. In October, it was claimed Kojima had left Konami, but the company denied any such move and described Kojima's departure - accompanied by a farewell party of which it also denied any knowledge - as a 'vacation.'

Unsurprisingly, that turns out to be far from truthful: following the expiration of his contract late last night, Kojima has confirmed that he has parted ways with Konami to form a new and independent company: Kojima Productions. 'My employment contract with Konami has been terminated as of Dec 15th, so today marks a new start for me,' Kojima explained in a statement on the matter. 'I'm committed to be involved in creative activities for as long as I live. Look forward to what's coming.'

The new company's first project will be released in partnership with Sony as a PlayStation 4 exclusive, though few details to its nature have been released. A video announcing the project is reproduced below.