Konami’s Los Angeles Studio, the team behind Metal Gear Online, has reportedly been shut down. Rumors of the closure first surfaced last night on Twitter from developers, including 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard.
“Rumor tells me that Konami has shut down the Kojima Productions LA studio, taking with it approx 35 jobs, just before Xmas”, George tweeted last night.
Eurogamer reported the rumors to be true after confirming it from sources close to the matter. According to the website, over 20 jobs were lost in the process.
LA Studio was started in 2013 by Konami as a division of Kojima Productions to help with the development of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and its multiplayer component, Metal Gear Online. The studio employed over 50 staff members at its peak. In recent months, the studio saw a drop in this number.
After the well-known dispute between Konami and Kojima Productions, the LA studio was renamed Konami Los Angeles Studio, parallel to the removal of Hideo Kojima’s name from the cover art of MGS V. Silent Hills, a collaboration between Kojima and film director Guillermo del Toro, was also cancelled as a result of the dispute.
Kojima reportedly left Konami after Metal Gear Online was released on October 6, though Konami has denied these reports and are still calling it a “vacation“.
According to Eurogamer, staff of the studio were notified of the closure yesterday. Konami, however, has yet to give an official statement.
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