Sony Reportedly Rejected Hideo Kojima's Next Game
If you've been wondering what the acclaimed Hideo Kojima has been working on since Death Stranding, it's apparently not a new game for Sony. Known as one of the best video game writers, designers, and directors of all time, Kojima not only has the honour of creating the Metal Gear series, but has also worked on everything from Silent Hill to Castlevania. While his big departure from Konami in 2015 was supposed to lead to bigger and better things, most agree the long-awaited Death Stranding didn't quite hit the mark.
Despite being praised for its stunning visuals and likeness to its all-star cast of Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux, and Mads Mikkelsen, Death Stranding was criticised as being an overcomplicated and sometimes baffling game that threw in everything - including the kitchen sink. Despite this, Kojima is still one of the hottest properties in the gaming world and is currently tipped for a potential deal with Microsoft. Considering he was once pitched as Sony's golden boy, players are rightly asking, what went wrong.
Did Sony reject Hideo Kojima's next game?
Wild reports that Sony passed on Kojima's next game come courtesy of XboxEra co-founder Nick Baker. Speaking on the XboxEra podcast, Baker (@Shpeshal_Ed) claims that he's known the mysterious Kojima title would be coming to the PlayStation 5 since June 2020. However, he thinks that Sony passed on the project, which led Kojima to knock at the door of Microsoft. Although Baker first thought Sony CEO Jim Ryan was behind the axe, he later clarified that Ryan probably didn't have the final say.
Discussing what went down, Baker explained, "The Death Stranding situation didn't go the best, and then, I think Kojima pitched his next game to Sony. Jim Ryan was like, 'That's all right, that's okay. No thank you'". He added that he also thinks Kojima pitched it to Google as a potential Stadia release, then branded Google as "stupid" - presumably for passing on the opportunity. Interestingly, this comes off the back of reports Kojima had been working on a horror game for Google. It's a claim Google has since denied.
Ultimately, Baker didn't reveal his source or where the mythical Kojima game is up to. Still, Baker concluded by saying, "In terms of my opinion on Kojima, I've said all along that with Kojima, if it's not a horror game, I'm personally not interested". We have to agree on that one!
What's next for Hideo Kojima?
Death Stranding developer Yoji Shinkawa promised the next Kojima project will be announced "quite soon", but for now, we know it isn't Blue Box Games' Abandoned. After the first reveal of gameplay from the unknown developer teased a Kojima-inspired horror setting, the internet went into overdrive that Sony was going full Cloverfield and hiding Hideo's next game in plain sight. Blue Box Games has clarified that Abandoned is definitely NOT a Kojima outing.
Barely a day goes by that there isn't a flurry of rumours about a return to Silent Hill, and while it's not completely clear where the rights lie, Kojima could breathe new life into that tormented town. Even if Sony started the franchise back in 1999, let's remember the survival horror has a long history with Microsoft AND Sony pulled the plug on the now-legendary Silent Hills. It's also not completely out of the realms of possibility (but highly unlikely) that a straight-up Death Stranding 2 could be on the cards. Reedus has already expressed an interest in working with Kojima Productions again.
Whatever is going on, it sounds like Microsoft could be closing in on a deal to nab Kojima and add another notch to its belt. Alongside the massive acquisition of the Bethesda catalogue, there are whispers of Microsoft collaborating with Nintendo. Yes, Sony has a lot going for it in terms of the PlayStation 5 and its exclusives, but if Kojima is destined to join forces with Microsoft, we'd be shaking in our boots if we were Jim Ryan.
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