Publisher Konami has removed all reference to Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima, and his development team Kojima Productions and their Fox Engine, from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain‘s box art.
With the relationship between Konami and Kojima reportedly strained and allegations continuing to surround Kojima’s apparent departure from the publisher, it’s hardly surprising to see Kojima’s name being pulled from the game’s box, but it is yet another indicator that Kojima has potentially been ousted from his position at the helm of the MGS series.
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Here’s a look at how the game’s box art appeared when it was first unveiled, and how it looks now:
A voice actress who worked on The Phantom Pain‘s prequel Ground Zeroes posted a tweet earlier this month saying that Kojima had been “fired” by Konami, though later redacted her statement in a post on Facebook, writing: “Konami is correct in that Kojima has not actually been fired. As I stated previously he and his team are still working hard on getting the game out. My sincere apologies to Konami, Hideo Kojima and the fans for giving the wrong impression.” Her apology came after Konami refuted her previous claims.
Konami had begun to reinstate Kojima’s name and Kojima Productions’ logo on Metal Gear Solid V‘s marketing material, though it seems like the publisher may have once again changed its mind. Kojima has spoken about how he is still firmly involved in the creation process of the game prior to its release, though it remains unclear what his position with Konami and the franchise will be once MGSV reaches store shelves.
