Kept you waiting, huh

It has been confirmed today that Hideo Kojima has left publisher Konami. October 9th was his final day at the company.

The news had been anticipated for some time, with rumours circulating that Kojima would leave the firm once work on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was completed. The rumour mill started running when Kojima's name was removed from promotional material relating to the game, and there were reports that Kojima Production had been shuttered.

Kojima had been with Konami for almost 30 years and was without a doubt its most famous employee; as well as creating the million-selling Metal Gear series, he produced cult classics such as Snatcher, Policenauts and Zone of the Enders.

While the Metal Gear franchise has been absent from Nintendo systems since 2012's Snake Eater 3D, the series has a strong bond with Nintendo fans. The NES version of Metal Gear - disowned by Kojima himself as he had nothing to do with it - was arguably the entry point for many people into the series, and GameCube exclusive Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes took the 1998 PlayStation classic and made it even better.

It is not yet known what Kojima's next move will be after his period of "non-competition" ends in December. What is certain is that whatever he does next will be eagerly anticipated by the many fans who have followed his career. Are you one of those fans? Let us know by posting a comment.

[source engadget.com, via newyorker.com]