I actually commented on that article, mostly that it's poorly-timed coming off of Bloodbourne's smash success, which is entirely attributed by Souls fans to the fact that it was directed by Miyazaki, who also happens to have become the President of From Software in the time he was developing the game. Gran Turismo 7 is also rumored to be coming sooner than expected, with Yamauchi being the ultimate auteur - blowing millions of Sony's dollars so that the sitching on the leather of a Ferrari steering wheel is up to his standards. You can't say the era of Japanese auteurs is over when these games are among the highest selling and most anticipated games today.

That said, it has raised a conversation about what's the best way to make a work of art. High quality games require big teams and low risk. Design-by-committee has become more or less the norm and industry leaders like Naughty Dog pride themselves on having no hierarchy structure. This seems to be the Western design philosophy but personally, I would say it's the reason why last generation didn't have as many masterpieces or as much diversity as previous generations did. True works of art require a compelling creative vision and I think it's a lot harder to do that in a democracy than it is in a dictatorship. Ironically, however, Konami and Kojima's split doesn't have any real implications on this discussion.