Konami Shuts Down Metal Gear Online LA Studio, Axes 35 Jobs

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If you’ve been following our coverage of the completely strange and somewhat depressing situation between publisher Konami, longtime employee Hideo Kojima, and his Kojima Productions studio, you’ll be sad to hear of yet another blow against Kojima and crew.

We’ve learned (via Eurogamer) from sources familiar with the situation that Konami has shut down the Kojima Productions Los Angeles studio, effectively laying off approximately 35 developers.

Eurogamer is confirming via their own sources that at least 20 jobs have been lost in the process, but it’s worth mentioning that at its peak Konami’s LA studio had between 50 to 60 people employed. First they were helping develop Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, later they developed its online multiplayer component, Metal Gear Online.

Back in March, the studio resurfaced as Konami Los Angeles Studio, a move that mirrored the corporate rebranding that effectively removed Kojima Productions and Hideo Kojima’s name from various IPs, including Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

It remains to be seen what this means for Metal Gear Online, which has yet to even launch for PC owners of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. We’ve reached out to Konami for a comment.

While all sources point to Hideo Kojima no longer being with Konami and Kojima Productions being shuttered, Konami is still sticking to their story: the creator and his team are on “vacation.”

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