Konami-Kojima Separation "Completely Unexpected," Says Del Toro

Guillermo Del Toro has discussed the recent cancellation of Silent Hills, saying that its demise, and the parting of ways between Konami and Hideo Kojima, was "completely unexpected."

Speaking in an interview with IGN, Del Toro, who was co-directing the title with Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima, said the creative duo decided they wanted to push technology to the cutting edge and create a "very, very atmosphere-drenched" experience.

"The completely unexpected happened, which was Kojima and Konami separating. It's kind of left me reeling."

Guillermo Del Toro

In April, rumours circulated that the Silent Hills project may have been cancelled. Initially, Konami issued a statement that suggested the game was, at the very least, undergoing major changes. It later confirmed it had been outright cancelled.

Asked if Del Toro would return to video games, the Hollywood director said, given his experiences so far, he wasn't sure, going on to reference his failed partnerships with THQ and the surprising split between Konami and Kojima.

"Well, you know, I've tried twice and I don't know if I'll ever come back to the form," he said.

"In one instance, the company [THQ] went down, and in the second, the completely unexpected happened, which was Kojima and Konami separating. It's kind of left me reeling."

Before being attached to Silent Hills, Del Toro was working on a horror title with THQ. The game, called InSANE, was later cancelled, as THQ entered into bankruptcy.

Although Konami has not yet outright confirmed Kojima has left, it is believed he will depart following the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Konami has removed the Kojima Productions logo from official artwork for The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes. It also removed references to titles being "A Hideo Kojima Game" from marketing material. The Kojima Productions logo was also removed from the Silent Hills/P.T. website, before Silent Hills was outright cancelled.

P.T., the playable teaser for Silent Hills, has been removed off the PlayStation servers, which means it can now no longer be downloaded on the PlayStation 4.

Read GameSpot's The State of Konami feature for a detailed exploration of the current state of the company.