As part of Konami’s continued efforts towards separating themselves from Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions, the company has removed the Kojima Productions logo from their Silent Hills/P.T. website. Previously, you could go to the site and see the logos in the lower left corner. The Fox Engine logo remains, which makes sense because they are well into the development cycle at this point. This is not an unsurprising move on Konami’s part, but it provides further evidence that not only is Kojima’s involvement with the Metal Gear franchise uncertain after Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, but his involvement with other Konami IPs seems to be diminishing, as well. The company also recently removed Kojima’s presence from their Zone of the Enders website. Games with the ‘A Hideo Kojima Game’ tagline have also been modified so the marketing no longer shows his name on any of their materials.
When pressed for the status of Kojima’s future involvement with Konami by Gamespot, they received the following response:
“Konami has switched from a studio-based to a headquarters-based organization, so [Kojima Productions] wouldn’t be listed as a studio anymore. At this time, there are no additional updates to share.”
This is a standard response from a company that wants to play its hand close to the breast and a logical one from Konami’s perspective. Kojima’s status with the company has already created some controversy amongst the Metal Gear fan base, most of whom feel that his unique vision as a director and storyteller are the franchise’s beating heart (Kojima has stated that he will continue to oversee Metal Gear Solid V to completion.) So, it makes sense for Konami to try to diminish any loss of confidence in the market by downplaying their relationship with Kojima and, instead, put the focus on a shift in company procedure. Konami has seen its output lessen over the years as they look towards other markets and platforms and the last thing they need is for anything they say to be the reason MGS V is released to negative opinions or poor sales.
Now, it would appear that Silent Hills is headed down the same road, but the reaction likely won’t be as strong since it’s not a franchise that owes its very existence and identity to Hideo Kojima. If anything, this brings Guillermo Del Toro’s involvement into question since the pair were initially collaborating on the game. It’s certain that Konami would like Del Toro to stay involved as his name brings marquee value and crossover appeal from other media. But, as of right now, nobody’s providing any answers.
