Kojima Station Suspended Indefinitely

With veteran game designer Hideo Kojima's relationship with Konami apparently strained and the developer expected to leave the company, some wondered if this week's Kojima Station broadcast would go on as planned. Now, Konami has confirmed that it won't.

In a series of tweets translated by Dualshockers, Konami thanked fans for their support of the video series and apologized for suspending the latest broadcast, which was scheduled for Thursday, March 26.

The show has not been canceled outright, however, as Konami promised to share more information about when the next event will take place sometime in the future.

Kojima Station is a livestream broadcast event where Kojima himself and other Konami developers talk about the studio's upcoming projects and, in some cases, make announcements. During a Kojima Station broadcast last year, Kojima revealed that Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain's in-game world is 200 times the size of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Given Kojima's uncertain future with Konami, it's not surprising that the series has been suspended as the publisher devises a plan to carry it forward, possibly without Kojima.

An inside source at Konami told GameSpot last week that Kojima--along with other key developers at Kojima Productions--are planning to leave the studio after development on The Phantom Pain is concluded. Power struggles between Kojima Productions and Konami have led to senior staff at the studio given restricted access to corporate Internet, emails, and phone calls, GameSpot understands.

In a bid to quell concerns that unrest at Kojima Productions would affect The Phantom Pain, Konami issued a statement with a quote from Kojima himself.

"I want to reassure fans that I am 100 percent involved and will continue working on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain," he said in the statement last week. "I'm determined to make it the greatest game I've directed to date. Don't miss it!"

Konami has also launched a public hiring campaign, seeking new blood to make more Metal Gear games.

The Phantom Pain worldwide release date is September 1 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The PC edition is coming two weeks later. For a closer look at the game, check out the images in the gallery below.

Gallery