As his future with Konami hangs in the balance, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima has vowed to "keep creating" for his entire life. Kojima turned 52 on Monday, the day that reviews for his latest work, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, started showing up online.

　　"Thanks everyone, I turned 52 and will keep creating in rest of my life," Kojima said on Twitter to fans who wished him a happy birthday. The glowing praise for The Phantom Pain was probably a nice present.

　　Kojima did not say how he intends to go about "creating" after The Phantom Pain arrives on September 1. Sources told GameSpot back in March that Kojima would leave Konami following the game's release. Just a month later, Konami confirmed that it had canceled Kojima's next project, a new Silent Hill game he was working on with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus.

　　More recently, reports have shed light on what sounds like a troubling culture inside of Konami.

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　　GS News Update - Kojima Expected to Leave Konami After MGS5, Inside Source Confirms

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　　Being one of Konami's biggest franchises, it's not surprising to learn that the company intends to continue the series beyond The Phantom Pain--with or without Kojima. Konami has started development on the next game in the series and is actively hiring for the unannounced project.

　　GameSpot awarded The Phantom Pain the rare score of 10/10. Reviewer Peter Brown praised The Phantom Pain in his review, saying it is for sure the best Metal Gear game ever made.

　　"When it comes to storytelling, there has never been a Metal Gear game that's so consistent in tone, daring in subject matter, and so captivating in presentation," Brown said. "The Phantom Pain may be a contender for one of the best action games ever made, but is undoubtedly the best Metal Gear game there is."

　　In other news about The Phantom Pain, Konami has clarified how microtransactions work for the game's Forward Operating Base (FOB) multiplayer mode.