14 DAY TRIAL // One of the hottest subjects in the modern video game business is which major company Hideo Kojima will choose to work with in the future, after his mysterious but very public split from long-term publisher Konami.
It seems that gamers might see the process move forward soon as Nikkei, a Japanese newspaper focused on business news, reports, translated by NeoGAF, that the game maker has finally left his old employer effective immediately.
The report, which does not quote its sources, claims that Kojima is working to create a new studio, which will be largely staffed by his collaborators, but no details about the size or location are available.
The rights to Metal Gear, in all its incarnations, remain linked to Konami, which means that the game creator will need to develop a new idea and find ways to secure resources to develop it.
The report also seems to suggest that initial negotiations are on-going with Sony to launch the future title first on the PlayStation 4, although some translations are simply mentioning current-gen consoles rather than specific devices, which means that Xbox One might also be targeted.
The fact that Hideo Kojima has left Konami might also mean that he will shed some more light on the reasons for the falling-out between him and the publisher that took place earlier in 2015.
Fans have been speculating that creative differences linked to Metal Gear Solid V were involved and that full information about what happened might remain hidden for the next few years because neither of the two parties wants to be implicated in a lengthy legal battle.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has been launched on September 1 of this year and has managed to move more than 5 million copies to gamers worldwide.
Kojima might choose to use crowdfunding for his next project
The fact that Metal Gear Solid is the property of Konami means that the game maker and his new studio will have to find inspiration and resources to create a new universe and set of gameplay mechanics that can capture the imagination of those who have long loved his titles.
The Phantom Pain is seen by many fans as incomplete, with a lot of suggestions that a whole third act was cut out before launch, and some believe that the publisher will deliver more story via downloadable content packs during 2016.
Some analysts have said that Hideo Kojima, because of his brand recognition, is the kind of creator who can benefit from the crowdfunding model of Kickstarter, relying on his fans to offer the money required to create a new experience.
A collaboration with a big company, like Sony or Microsoft, is also a possibility, but it's likely that the separation from Konami comes with some rather strict legal limits on what the game maker can do.
There's speculation that Kojima will try to revive his collaboration with Guillermo del Toro to create a modern take on the classic horror genre, although they will not use the Silent Hill setting.