Video game enthusiasts line up behind fences with barbed wire at the Konami booth to play the new game "Metal Gear Solid 4" at the E for All video game expo in Los Angeles, California October 19, 2007.
Video game enthusiasts line up behind fences with barbed wire at the Konami booth to play the new game "Metal Gear Solid 4" at the E for All video game expo in Los Angeles, California October 19, 2007. Reuters/Fred Prouser

After the recent fallout between game creator Hideo Kojima and game developer Konami, fans were worried about the fate of the beloved “Metal Gear” franchise. After the game's controversial ending, fans are anticipating another entry in the series, but the next title could reportedly lose its flair. It was recently discovered that Konami has shut down an integral team involved in the development of “Metal Gear.”

Konami has reportedly shut down its LA studio which was primarily responsible for developing “Metal Gear” games. The rumours of the LA studio being shut down began after tweets of some game developers suggested that Konami has indeed dissolved the development team. Sources close to the matter has since confirmed the disbandment of the team to Eurogamer.

The studio was first opened in 2013 by Konami. It was given the duty of developing the yet unreleased “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.” During those times, Kojima was still a part of the gaming giant. Apparently, the studio played a big part in developing the multiplayer mode of “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain,” which is “Metal Gear Online.”

The news may not come as a surprise to many as earlier reports stated that Kojima has left Konami. However, the company recently claimed that the acclaimed game creator is still their employee and is just currently taking a long break, Polygon reports.

Rumours of Kojima leaving Konami began when a Konami employee attended a farewell party for the game creator. Konami later on explained that game developers commonly take long vacation breaks after developing a title.

Nonetheless, the disbandment of LA studios could’ve been foreseen by many, especially after Kojima and his team has been stripped of credits in “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.” So far, only the upcoming “Silent Hills” by Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro has been cancelled.

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