Konami already planning next Metal Gear Solid, report claims

The future of series creator Hideo Kojima remains up in the air, but thoughts internally at Konami have apparently already turned to the next release in the Metal Gear series.

Kotaku reports that the print edition of the latest Nikkei that Konami has already started ‘mulling over plans’ for a new Metal Gear Solid – which is consistent with previous assertions that the series will live on and the hiring process already underway.

Konami is quoted as saying of the new game that when we start development, a large-scale investment will become necessary”.

The 5m copies of The Phantom Pain that have already shipped no doubt served as a big encouragement for Konami, despite what appear to be some internal reservations about its future in the console sector.

The big question, of course, is will Hideo Kojima be involved in the new project? It has been suggested that he has already left Konami, although the official line remains that the developer is merely on holiday – during which time Konami has closed Kojima Productions’ LA studio, which is in charge of Metal Gear Online.

Kojima Productions, meanwhile, is believed to be dissolved”, while Kojima’s other project, Silent Hills, has also been canned.