Why does everyone keep assuming/hoping this is a joke/ruse? Kojima is free to move on from Metal Gear - that is a good thing. I am excited that with MGSV:TPP we are getting to play the final, best Hideo Kojima made Metal Gear game ever made. Just my opinion, mind you, but to me this is glorious and I am beyond excited to see Kojima make new games that finally aren't Metal Gear sequels. Brand new IP's from Kojima are something that I have wanted for over a decade and now, he finally gets the chance to make them.
If this was a joke - I would have no respect for Kojima or Konami for putting me through the emotional rollercoaster we've all been on since this all began without any clear word of what is going on. I would feel angry and irritated at the juvenile nature of the stunt and the contrived "meaning" behind it.
The amount of effort, time and face [Japanese honor] involved is monumental and it would shock me if this was an elaborate ruse - but I would still find it distasteful and unnecessary.
Use the principal of Occam's Razor on this whole situation - is it easier to believe that:
1). This is all a ruse, a joke being played on the fans on a global scale, using social media, hearsay and conjecture to put fans into a tailspin regarding the future of the Metal Gear saga and at it's epicenter, Kojima and Konami are at odds in a power struggle that has resulted in Konami removing Kojima's name and company logo from the products and marketing for MGSV. Yet, this is all some kind of social experiment - a joke on us.
Or
2). This is really happening and everything we have seen thus far is a result of Kojima choosing to leave Konami and go solo with his own third party studio. This combined with Konami Digital Entertainment's restructuring of their company ended up getting Kojima ousted as Vice President of KDE and thus, a falling out between Kojima and Konami occurs and Konami removes any branding he or his studio had on products Konami deems a part of headquarters control.
You decide.