Did Kojima hint at his departure from Konami in Ground Zeroes?

The conflict between publisher Konami and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima is still ongoing, as news about the legendary game creators departure from the company is slowly mounting. Even the entire studio seems to be disbanding according to the voice actor in what seems to be Kojima's last game for Konami, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Now however, it seems that Kojima knew about his departure long ago, as fans have found references to the split in last year's Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. During the game's Déjà Vu missions, you have to erase the logos of all the Kojima directed Metal Gear Solid titles. Other titles in the franchise however, are not part of the game. When the player completes this task, the following message is received, shown in the screenshots below:

Upon completion the player also receives a personal message from Kojima, saying "thank you for all your support". You can watch a condensed walkthrough of the mission right here.

What appears to be Hideo Kojima and Konami's last collaboration, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, is out on September 1st.

Thanks GamesRadar.