That's an interesting thought, Konami holding MGS ransom: "If you leave, we will run your baby into the ground."This really does reak of "We're going to ruin everything you loved"... Like when Capcom cancelled MML3 after it's demo they said would be used to gauge interest was completed but never put up and just plain cancelled.
Konami in saying they are hiring for a new MGS immediately are basically taunting Kojima before he's even out of the door "We're going to milk this series for every penny it's worth and then leave it as a worthless shell."
Unrealistic, though.