What's Going on With Konami, Kojima, and Metal Gear Solid? Here's a Timeline

2015 has been an eventful year for Konami. The Japanese publisher has regularly made headlines in the past few months, some pertaining to its reportedly strained relationship with veteran developer Hideo Kojima and others about the company's financial outlook. So much has been written about the company and its controversial developments that we thought it was a good time to recap what's happened.

Below is a timeline of major events that have transpired in the past few months.

March 19:

Kojima Expected to Leave Konami After Metal Gear Solid 5

An inside source at Konami told GameSpot last month that esteemed developer Hideo Kojima would be exiting the company after Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ships in September. The decision comes in the midst of a reported power struggle between Kojima and Konami. [Full story]

March 20:

Konami Wants New Staff for Next Metal Gear Game

Just hours after we reported on Kojima's strained relationship with Konami, the publisher announced that it had started early production on the next Metal Gear Solid game. The company also said it was looking for fresh talent to work on this early-in-development game, a follow-up to The Phantom Pain. [Full story]

March 20:

Kojima: I Am 100 Percent Involved in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

In a bid to quell concerns that unrest at Kojima Productions would affect The Phantom Pain, Konami released a statement quoting Hideo Kojima as saying: "I want to reassure fans that I am 100 percent involved and will continue working on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain; I'm determined to make it the greatest game I've directed to date. Don't miss it!" [Full story]

March 25:

Kojima Station Suspended Indefinitely

As many suspected, the broadcast event Kojima Station was put on hiatus. Given Kojima's uncertain future with Konami, it's not surprising that the series was suspended. What remains to be seen is if the broadcast will ever return, with or without Kojima. [Full story]

March 31:

Silent Hills/PT Website Removes Kojima Productions Logo

Konami wiped clean the Kojima Productions logo from the Silent Hills/PT website, leading some to believe the project might be in trouble (more on that later). Konami did the same for the Metal Gear Solid V websites earlier in the month. [Full story]

April 22:

"Meet The Head Transplant Surgeon at the Center of a Metal Gear Solid Conspiracy"

Kotaku UK reporter Gabriel Galliani dove into the very bizarre story of a head transplant neurosurgeon named Sergio Canavero who looks a lot like the doctor from The Phantom Pain's first teaser trailer. It's all very strange, and some have even suggested it's an extensive marketing ploy for the game. [Full story]

April 26:

PS4's PT, a Teaser for Silent Hills, Being Removed Soon

On this day, Konami announced that the "playable teaser" for Silent Hills will officially be removed from the PlayStation Store on Wednesday, April 29. It remains to be seen if the game will remain playable for people who already downloaded the free game, and if its removal is tied to the news that would be announced the next day. [Full story]

April 27:

Silent Hills Canceled, Konami Confirms

Konami made it official on April 27, confirming that the horror game is no longer in development. It was supposed to feature The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus and was to be directed by Hideo Kojima along with Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro, but it was not to be. Though Silent Hills may be canned, Konami stressed that it will "continue to develop the Silent Hill series." [Full story]

April 27:

Konami Voluntarily Delists Itself From the New York Stock Exchange

On the same day that Konami announced the cancellation of Silent Hills, the publisher also revealed that it was removing its shares from the New York Stock Exchange. But this seems like a practical, cost-saving move more than anything tied to that project. After all, over the past year, 99.71 percent of the company's common stock was traded in Japan and the United Kingdom. [Full story]

May 8:

Konami Will Report Earnings for the Latest Financial Quarter

If Konami has news to share regarding the future of the company, this could be a venue where it might do so. We'll be keeping a close eye, as usual, on this earnings report next week.

September 1:

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Releases

After years of development, The Phantom Pain will launch worldwide on this date for consoles, while the PC version will be released two weeks later. This will be a telling time: Will Hideo Kojima officially announce his departure from Konami? What will he do next? Check back in a few months to find out.