Konami Removes Hideo Kojima From ‘Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’ Cover Art

It seems the drama between Konami and Hideo Kojima has another chapter, as fans have noticed that the new cover of “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” has removed any mention of Hideo Kojima and his former company Kojima Productions. Fans from NeoGAF have compared the original cover with the current and possibly final one where Kojima’s name was removed.

Fans will notice that the head of Big Boss now takes up more space than in the original version, but of course, that’s not the cause for concern regarding the box art. Not only has Kojima Productions been removed, but the game is also no longer called “A Hideo Kojima Game,” as IGN pointed out. Most games in the “Metal Gear” series have been called a Kojima game, but since this is his last in the series and Konami plans on making more after he leaves, it seems the company wants fans to know that the series is Konami’s now.

According to GameSpot, Konami was removing Kojima Productions from a number of the company’s products, including the “Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes” demo. At the time, the company said it was simply rebranding the products and that the Kojima Productions name would eventually return, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Reports on the demise of Kojima Productions have also surfaced and have been confirmed by Japanese voice actor Otsuka Akio, who does the Japanese voice of Solid Snake. This is also another possible reason why Konami removed the company’s name from “Metal Gear Solid V.”

Despite his deteriorating relationship with the company, Kojima promised to finish “Metal Gear Solid V” to the very end, trying to make sure that it’s the best game that it can be. However, his dealings with Konami reportedly reached a breaking point and the “Metal Gear” creator left the company, resulting in the cancellation of the highly anticipated “Silent Hill,” which would have featured the talents of Guillermo del Toro and “Walking Dead” actor Norman Reedus.

“Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” is set for a September 1 release for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360, with a PC version coming out two weeks after. This will be the final game that Kojima Productions has ever worked on.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | E3 2014 | PS4 & PS3 (Credit: YouTube/PlayStation)