Famed video game designer Hideo Kojima has officially left the development studio Konami.
According to reports, he and a small team from the company are currently forming their own studio and are targeting to release a new game for Sony's PlayStation platform, IGN reported.
Kojima, the creator of the "Metal Gear Series" departed with Konami in October but his contract with the studio officially expired on December 15. The game designer's rift with the company began in early 2015 which resulted in the cancellation of "Silent Hills," which was supposed to be a joint project with acclaimed film director Guillermo del Toro and "Walking Dead" star Norman Reedus.
Then, before the release of "Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain," the issue between Kojima and Konami intensified. This resulted in Kojima's name being removed from the box art of the game.
Now that he is free from the company, a report on Japanese publication Nikkei, via Gamespot, noted that Kojima and other former Konami employees are planning on setting up their own game development studio. Their new project will reportedly debut for Sony's PlayStation platform. However, details regarding the new company and upcoming game are still unclear.
Apart from his contract expiring, another factor that indicates that Kojima's relationship with Konami is now over was the game creator's absence during the Game Awards 2015 held in Los Angeles, California.
Kojima won the award for Best Action/Adventure Game for "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain." Being the founder of Konami and the man who created the entire series, it was only right for Kojima to personally accept the award. However, Kojima did not did not show up for the event.
According to Geoff Keighley, the host of the awards show,Kojima's absence was due to the conditions set by the legal representatives of Konami.
"Hideo Kojima is not here with us tonight and I wanted to tell you a little bit about that," he said according to MCVUK. "Mr. Kojima had every intention of being with us tonight but unfortunately he was informed by a lawyer representing Konami just recently that we would not be allowed to travel to tonight's award ceremony to accept any awards."
"It's disappointing and it's inconceivable to me that an artist like Hideo would not be allowed to come here and celebrate with his peers," the host continued.
Keighley then noted that what he said during the event was not rehearsed nor was it part of the show.