A rare photo of IGA sans his cowboy hat and whip

When Konami revealed its Castlevania series reboot Lords of Shadow at this year's E3, the absence of Koji "IGA" Igarashi raised some eyebrows.

The legendary producer - who has been the Castlevania franchise head man since the days of Symphony of the Night - didn't seem to be having any input in the upcoming 360/PS3 release, with programming duties being handed to Spanish code shop MercurySteam and the producer's seat going to Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima.

This naturally sparked rumours that the whip-loving developer had left Konami - and the Castlevania series - forever.

However, Kotaku has pressed Konami for answers and the Japanese company has confirmed that IGA is still around and more importantly he's been involved with the forthcoming WiiWare title Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth. This fact alone should please fans of the vampire-hunting series.

Intriguing, Konami also mentioned that IGA is working on a new project which can't be revealed at this time. Putting aside the bitter taste of IGA's previous non-Castlevania outing and the embarrassment that was Castlevania Judgment, we're hoping for a proper Wii adventure or another 2D DS release.