Hideo Kojima "Contractually Forbidden" From Discussing Konami Split - Report

According to a new report from The New Yorker, there is a reason why Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima did not speak about the terms of his split with Konami when he announced his new studio and game earlier this week. The report claims that Kojima is "contractually forbidden" from discussing the terms of his exit from the Japanese game publisher.

The veteran game designer officially left Konami on December 15 after nearly three decades with Konami. However, a previous report claimed that he actually parted ways with Konami in October. It was believed that he was under a non-compete clause that expired in December.

Kojima was not present at The Game Awards this month to accept for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. According to Geoff Keighley, the show's host and a close personal friend of Kojima, lawyers instructed Kojima that it would not be a good idea to attend. That was just one side of the story, though.

His new game will be exclusive on console to PlayStation 4, but is also coming to PC. It's still early days for the project--it doesn't have a name or a release window, not even a target release window. Kojima's new studio, Kojima Productions, currently has just four employees and no office.

GameSpot first reported earlier this year that Kojima was likely to leave the company following the completion of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which was released on September 1. A power struggle between Konami and Kojima Productions, the Kojima-led studio responsible for Metal Gear Solid, resulted in senior staff having limited access to emails, phone calls, and corporate Internet.

In August, a report detailed the troubling corporate culture at Konami. Among other things claimed in the report was that Konami employees are monitored with surveillance cameras while at work.

Kojima first came to work at Konami in 1986. It was there that he created the Metal Gear series, which he has helmed since 1987. His other projects have included Snatcher, Policenauts, Boktai, and Zone of the Enders.