Konami owns the Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid intellectual property, not Hideo Kojima or the current independent Kojima Productions studio.

Who owns Metal Gear Solid?

  • The Metal Gear / Metal Gear Solid IP belongs to Konami, the Japanese game publisher that funded and published the series.
  • Hideo Kojima created the series while working at Konami, so his work fell under “work for hire,” meaning the company, not the individual creator, owns the rights.
  • The current Kojima Productions (founded in 2015 after Kojima left Konami) is a separate, independent studio and does not own Metal Gear Solid.

In other words, Konami controls future mainline games, remasters, collections, and licensing (such as films or merchandise), even though Kojima is the creative father of the franchise.

Quick forum-style scoop

“Konami owns everything. The current Kojima Productions isn’t the same as the one that worked on the MGS series.”

Fans often assume Kojima “owns” Metal Gear Solid because his name is so closely tied to it, but legally the brand sits with Konami, while Kojima can only reference it indirectly or make spiritual successors under his new studio.

TL;DR: If you’re asking “who owns Metal Gear Solid right now?” the answer is Konami. Kojima is the creator, but Konami is the rights holder and decision-maker for the franchise’s future.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.