Konami has reportedly laid off off more than 20 people this week as it quietly shuts down its Los Angeles studio, which most recently contributed to the development of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and its online component.
Eurogamer has confirmed rumors of the studio’s closure and now reports that a number of staffers had already left the company in recent months.
Those who remained at the studio were reportedly notified of its closure at the start of this week, and Gamasutra has in turn confirmed this with a source close to the matter.
The studio opened late in 2013 as the Western arm of Kojima Productions, though it was rebranded as Konami Los Angeles earlier this year as part of a company reshuffle that saw (reportedly former) Metal Gear chief Hideo Kojima’s name scrubbed from many faces of Konami’s corporate structure.
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Update: Konami representatives have confirmed in a statement to Polygon that the studio formerly known as Kojima Productions Los Angeles has been shut down.
“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,” reads an excerpt of the statement. “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.”