Hideo Kojima’s Name Removed From Metal Gear Solid 5 Box Art

Hideo Kojima's name and studio logo were removed from the box art of Metal Gear Solid V as Solid Snake's voice actor claims Kojima Productions was disbanded.

VideoGamer reports that Konami is yanking Hideo Kojima from the spotlight once again as it has removed the Metal Gear series creator, writer and lead designer's name from the cover of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. A few months ago, Konami removed the traditional tagline of "A Hideo Kojima Game" from the covers of its current roster of available Metal Gear products. Given that Kojima is heavily involved with The Phantom Pain, this is just another sign that the legendary developer is going to be leaving Konami after the game is released. Likewise, Konami has removed the logo of Kojima Productions, Kojima's in-house studio that developed Metal Gear Solid V, from the cover as well. Notice they left the Fox Engine icon on the cover, which was another Kojima Productions creation.

While we shouldn't be surprised at this, it's a shame to see Kojima's name treated in such a way, especially when he is responsible for keeping Konami relevant in today's video game scene. In the provided picture above, the box art on the left was the original look of the game's cover, whereas the right side is the updated version. Notice that missing tagline from the top and the erased Kojima Productions logo on the bottom. The cancellation of Kojima's joint project with Guillermo Del Toro, Silent Hills, was another sign of the Metal Gear creator's departure from Konami.

Longtime Snake voice actor Akio Otsuka recently Tweeted that Kojima Productions was disbanded, which is a more definitive explanation of things than what Konami has been doing. Despite all the negative press and rumors going around about Kojima leaving, Konami has only given the very PR response of saying Kojima is staying to finish The Phantom Pain, without acknowledging the thought on everyone's' minds that he's going to be leaving afterwards.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on Sept. 1. The PC version will debut on Sept. 15.

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