Konami appears ready to sever ties with master 'Metal Gear' game director Hideo Kojima

There's been a lot of mounting tension recently between Konami, the Japanese game publisher of the "Metal Gear Solid" series, and Hideo Kojima, the creator of that franchise and one of the most popular game creators ever.

The clash between these two gaming giants began in March, when Konami pulled Kojima's regular podcast series and removed his name from several areas of the website. It also cancelled "Silent Hills," the highly-anticipated horror project co-directed by Kojima and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.

Now, according to Kotaku, it looks like Konami has removed Kojima's name from the box art for "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain," which many assume will be Kojima's final game with Konami before his contract with the company expires later this year.

Check out the new box art:

And here's the old box art, for comparison (notice above the title, "A Hideo Kojima game"):

Konami has not acknowledged its recently rocky relationship with Kojima, but at this point, it would surprise no one if Kojima and Konami parted ways later this year, after the release of "Metal Gear Solid V" on September 1. It will be interesting to see if and when Konami and Kojima will acknowledge this rift, and what both parties will do moving forward assuming this is the end of their long-term relationship.