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The recent public falling out between famed game designer Hideo Kojima and Konami is still shrouded in mystery as the specifics behind the breakup have yet to be completely revealed. However, about every week or so, it seems that new information regarding the situation is brought to light.

This time, the revelation comes from YouTuber timesplitter88, as they have discovered a message in Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, the prologue game for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, that seems to suggest that Hideo Kojima knew about the impending issues with Konami at least a year in advance.

During the Deja Vu mission in the game, one of the missions tasks players with removing the Kojima logo from buildings that also feature the names of all the Metal Gear titles that Kojima has developed over the years. After removing all of the logos, a special message from Kojima himself is heard, as he says, "Thank you for all your support."

This eerily mirrors the current real-life situation between Kojima and Konami. The company initially removed and then replaced Kojima's name on old Metal Gear titles, and then just recently, removed the Kojima Productions logo from the Metal Gear Solid 5 box art. This seems to suggest that Kojima was aware that he would be fired and that Konami was planning on removing his name from the series he created, but then again, it could also be all a part of one big marketing stunt.

Kojima is known for tricking the public and doing outlandish things to swerve people, and while this latest stunt would be a little extreme if it turns out to be disingenuous, it's still not completely out of the question to think Kojima might do something like this.

The lack of concrete information about the entire situation is what makes it so strange, and this apparent foreshadowing by Kojima only serves to make it stranger. Kojima has yet to publicly discuss the situation, but on two separate occasions, voice actors that have worked on the game have commented. They were the first to claim that Kojima was fired by Konami, and then later, the Japanese voice actor for Solid Snake said that Kojima Productions was dismantled by Konami.

Hideo Kojima's apparent foreshadowing of the recent events surrounding his professional life in Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes isn't the only conspiracy theory surrounding Metal Gear Solid 5. In fact, there's also a head transplant conspiracy that some fans believe will come into play with the game's story, and may even deal with the issue of David Hayter no longer voicing the role of Solid Snake.

Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is currently available for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain will release September 1st for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, with a PC release coming September 15th.

Source: timesplitter88