Ryan Payton, predominately known for serving as assistance producer for Kojima Productions throughout the duration of Metal Gear Solid 4 development, has revealed that he is officially no longer a part of the company. Payton cited personal reasons, specifically being hit with some “pretty heavy news” concerning his mother, for stepping down from the position:

Back when I joined Kojima Productions in 2005, I hit the ground running and didn’t stop until we shipped Metal Gear Solid 4. Then, for the first time in three years, I wasn’t working on any games and I had a three month vacation ahead of me. I went back home to my family’s place in Washington state and literally three weeks after MGS4 launched we were hit with some pretty heavy news concerning my mom. I don’t think I need to go into details, but all of this has reminded me about how important family is. So this past month I decided to leave Kojima Productions and look to continue my career working closer to my family in North America.

Further to this, Payton dropped word of MGS5, noting that he has “utmost confidence that Hideo Kojima, Ken Imaizumi, and our amazing team will put together another blockbuster game.” So Kojima is working on another Metal Gear after all.

It’s unfortunate to see Kojima Productions losing such a great asset, but his reasoning behind leaving is understandable. Best of luck to Payton and his family.

Ryan Payton Has Left Kojima Productions (Mentions MGS5) [Kotaku]

Follow this author on Twitter.

Read more: Rumor: Ryan Payton To Helm New Halo Game,  Payton: Original MGS Could Come To US PSN,  Kojima E3 Site Launches With Cryptic Teaser,  Kojima Working On New, Non Metal Gear Title,  Payton: More Metal Gear On The Way, MGS 4 Ends Snake’s Saga