Metal Gear Solid Hideo Kojima PlayStation 4 PS4

Read between the corporate double speak and it's becoming increasingly clear that Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima has been targeted by a tranquiliser gun, bundled into a cardboard box, and put out with the trash. Following yesterday's rumours regarding an internal power struggle, publisher Konami has now revealed its intention to build a brand new Metal Gear series – and it's recruiting a fresh team of senior staff to do it.

The unsettling news comes courtesy of a translated post on the publisher's website, in which it reassures fans that the franchise will continue beyond Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Gutting the team and doing away with its long-time director doesn't exactly seem like the kind of comfort that we were hoping for, but this whole scenario already appeared tone deaf on the Japanese organisation's part, so we're not surprised.

Presumably, the firm will attempt to create the promising Silent Hills on its own, too – but consider our confidence in the project at rock bottom. Yesterday, the company started removing any references to the abovementioned veteran from its website. This is all part of a restructuring initiative, as it attempts to put Konami front and centre of all of its branding efforts, seemingly irrespective of the cost.

Kojima, cleverly, is yet to comment on the saga on his ordinarily active Twitter account, but that silence will get broken eventually – and we're sort of looking forward to it. We doubt that he'll have too much time on his hands right now, though, because he's about to get headhunted by practically every publisher in the industry. If we were Sony, we'd use some of those PS4 profits to allow him and his team to make whatever they want.

[source konami.jp, via neogaf.com, eurogamer.net]