Could Metal Gear Solid 5 be Konami's final big-budget game? Eurogamer reports that the publisher is stripping back AAA development on everything except Pro Evolution Soccer.
Meanwhile French site Gameblog mentions that worldwide technology director Julien Merceron has left the company over rumoured unhappiness at Konami's move toward mobile games.
Though Konami insisted months ago that it wants to pursue multi-platform development, Metal Gear Solid 5 composer Rika Muranaka has since tweeted about the report saying "Yes....it's pretty sad...now, I can't write music to any of AAA games..well, I need to find another AAA game company".
Earlier this year Kojima and Del Toro's Silent Hills game was cancelled, and the PT prototype pulled from the PS4 online store. Kojima's name vanished from Metal Gear Solid 5 marketing materials and box art.
While rumours of a rift between Konami and Kojima remain purely speculative, it's been a bumpy year for the company. If Konami choose to bow out of big-budget game development now, Metal Gear Solid 5 serves as a resounding mic drop. It's one of the best games of the year, and probably one of the best stealth games ever. If the reports are true, what will happen to Metal Gear and Silent Hill?
