Konami reportedly stops big-budget development on everything except PES

Could Metal Gear Solid 5 be Konami's final big-budget game? Eurogamer reports that the publisher is stripping back AAA development on everything except Pro Evolution Soccer.

Though Konami insisted months ago that it wants to pursue multi-platform development, Metal Gear Solid 5 composer Rika Muranaka has since tweeted about the report saying "Yes....it's pretty sad...now, I can't write music to any of AAA games..well, I need to find another AAA game company".

Earlier this year Kojima and Del Toro's Silent Hills game was cancelled, and the PT prototype pulled from the PS4 online store. Kojima's name vanished from Metal Gear Solid 5 marketing materials and box art.

While rumours of a rift between Konami and Kojima remain purely speculative, it's been a bumpy year for the company. If Konami choose to bow out of big-budget game development now, Metal Gear Solid 5 serves as a resounding mic drop. It's one of the best games of the year, and probably one of the best stealth games ever. If the reports are true, what will happen to Metal Gear and Silent Hill?

Part of the UK team, Tom was with PC Gamer at the very beginning of the website's launch—first as a news writer, and then as online editor until his departure in 2020. His specialties are strategy games, action RPGs, hack ‘n slash games, digital card games… basically anything that he can fit on a hard drive. His final boss form is Deckard Cain.