Next Hideo Kojima Game Is Rumoured To Be An Xbox Exclusive
The maestro of the macabre is back. It sounds like the legendary Hideo Kojima could be planning his return in a big way, and what better way to celebrate than with an all-star Xbox-exclusive game? Known as the man who's worked on everything from Silent Hill to Metal Gear, Kojima's time at Konami made him a pioneer in the stealth game genre and one of the biggest designers, writers, and developers to ever grace the industry.
While Kojima's much-publicised split from Konami in 2015 led to the formation of Kojima Productions, the studio is accused of being a little slow off the mark. Although the undeniably beautiful Death Stranding was clearly a labour of love for Kojima, critics panned the baffling storyline and overcomplicated mechanics that made the much-hyped 2019 title a divisive one. As rumours continue to swirl that either Kojima Productions or Konami could breathe life into Silent Hill, the latest whispers suggest he could cut ties with Sony and deliver a next-gen goliath to Microsoft's doorstep.
Will the next Hideo Kojima game be an Xbox exclusive?
According to VentureBeat, the gaming legend "is in talks with Microsoft about publishing his next game, according to a source familiar with the matter". Things kicked off thanks to the cryptic placement of a Ludens figuring in the back of an interview with Xbox boss Phil Spencer. Ludens is the official mascot of Kojima Productions, and thanks to it being spotted next to the Xbox logo, tin foil theorists quickly put two and two together. Spencer is known for trolling us with Easter eggs - just like when he had an Xbox Series S on his shelf before it was even revealed.
VentureBeat published its article in response to confirmation that Blue Box Games' upcoming PlayStation 5 game called Abandoned has nothing to do with Kojima. With the PS5 game coming from a seemingly unknown developer, the first trailer channelled some serious Kojima vibes and set the cat among the pigeons. Posting on the otherwise blank Blue Box Games site, an official statement read, "Our response to the Hideo Kojima Rumours. We received several emails regarding the Hideo Kojima rumour. We have no association with Hideo Kojima nor do we claim to have any association nor was it our intention to claim such a statement. We are a small group of developers working on a passionate title we wanted to work on for a long time.
"We have been assisting other studios in the past with their projects, and we wanted to work on our very first big project. While it is true that we've been working on small projects in the past, we certainly didn't use that for marketing purposes. We hope this has clarified this matter and hope to see you all in our very first gameplay reveal of Abandoned". Even this isn't enough to stop some believing Kojima is playing the long con, but by the looks of it, Abandoned really is just an atmospheric horror from an indie developer.
What if the next Hideo Kojima game is an Xbox exclusive?
Although things should be taken with a grain of salt now, making the next Kojima game an Xbox exclusive would be a massive break with tradition. Added to this, having a Kojima exclusive would go a long way to tackling those critics that call out Microsoft for not having enough first-party games. Back in the day, Halo, Forza, and Fable held up the Xbox. Today, not much has changed.
If Kojima is joining forces with Microsoft, it's the latest move in Phil Spencer's well-played game of chess against Sony. Only recently, the massive $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media saw Bethesda and its bulging back catalogue come under the House of Xbox. Although it's unclear what the future holds for Bethesda games like Starfield and the eventual release of Fallout 5, we know "some" Bethesda gamers are likely to become Xbox exclusives.
Not everyone is convinced that Kojima and Spencer about to join forces. Known leaker Nibellion mocked the idea that a figurine on a shelf would give such an important announcement and wrote, "It looks like Phil Spencer is going to buy Kojima Productions, Ubisoft and Nintendo", as a reference to other items behind him. Even though it might be a nice idea to imagine Kojima being the new poster boy of Xbox, don't expect an unannounced Metal Gear VI to suddenly drop as an Xbox exclusive.
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Images via Konami | Kojima Productions | Microsoft
