29 years is a pretty good innings when it comes to working for one company, but following rumours earlier in the year, Hideo Kojima has officially left his post as game director at Japanese publisher Konami. The two have had a storied history together, with the Metal Gear Solid series being their crowning achievement. The MGS franchise has lasted 28 years to date, but its future now seems unclear as Kojima has now parted ways with Konami.

Parting ways

According to the New Yorker, the game director headed up the eponymously named Kojima productions studio within Konami, which recently put the finishing touches on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (preview), but has now stepped down from the position, following a "departure ceremony" at Kojima studios. It is believed that the exorbitant costs of production for the aforementioned game was one of the reasons behind his departure from Konami.

The game itself cost an estimated $80 million to produce, says The Verge, but raked in a substantial $179 million on its launch day. While that is indeed a significant return on investment, the time of development is another contributing factor, with mobile games viewed as a more efficient alternative.

Going mobile

Games such as Dragon Collection have had a positive effect on the company's profits, delivering roughly 80% in profits during 2011 and 2012, The Verge explained. As such, this could very well be the new direction that the Japanese publisher takes moving forward, with a far heavier focus on mobile games. Reports also suggest that Konami will be pulling the plug on a number of its console titles, with the notable exception being Pro Evolution Soccer.

While the direction of Konami seems unclear for now, the news of Kojima's departure is an unfortunate one, considering how many of his games we've played over the past few decades.