Report: Payton Leaves Kojima Productions, Hints At MGS5

Assistant Producer Ryan Payton resigned from Konami subsidiary Kojima Productions, where he worked on the Metal Gear series since 2005, citing family reasons. According to a new interview with game weblog Kotaku, Payton spent a recent vacation in the States following the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 to visit his family. After hearing distressing news about his mother, he made the decision to leave the Tokyo-based studio and work closer to his family in North America. Previous to Kojima Productions, Payton worked as a journalist covering video games for publications such as Electronic Gaming Monthly and XBN. He was initially brought into the developer as international manager, facilitating communications between Konami Europe, Konami U.S., and Kojima Productions. As assistant producer, he worked on titles such as Lunar Knights, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, and Metal Gear Solid 4. For MGS4 in particular, Payton helped expose his colleagues to Western-developed titles, such as Gears of War, to refine MGS4's controls. Says Payton: "It'll be hard not being involved in MGS5, but I've got the utmost confidence that Hideo Kojima, Ken Imaizumi, and our amazing team will put together another blockbuster game. I'll be cheering from the sidelines."