UPDATE: Konami has confirmed that it has closed Kojima Productions LA with immediate effect.
“Konami has made the decision to close its Los Angeles Studio, effective immediately, due to the product development resources being restructured into a more centralized unit,” the publisher said in a statement provided to Polygon.
“This facility contributed to the recent Metal Gear Solid games. Konami will continue its operations to support all Metal Gear Solid titles, including the recently launched Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and Metal Gear Online. Metal Gear Online is still scheduled to release for PC Steam in January 2016.”
ORIGINAL STORY: Metal Gear Online developer Konami Los Angeles Studio has been closed, multiple reports have claimed, with between 20-35 jobs rumoured to have been lost.
The rumour first emerged following a tweet by 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard last night, although “sources close to the matter” are since said to have confirmed the news to Eurogamer.
Konami has yet to comment on the rumour.
Konami Los Angeles Studio was opened just two years ago to help develop Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain’s online multiplayer mode Metal Gear Online, with staff said to have been “notified of the studio’s closure yesterday”.
Metal Gear Online launched on console one month after Metal Gear Solid 5’s debut, but isn’t due to launch on PC until January. It isn’t yet clear how Konami Los Angeles Studio’s closure may affect the future of MGO.
Source: @georgeb3dr, eurogamer.net
