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- The Japanese game studio led by “Metal Gear Solid” creator Hideo Kojima announced a new project this week.
- It is the second project since the studio became independent in 2015. Before that, Kojima Productions existed as a subsidiary of the Japanese game publisher Konami, where Kojima created and oversaw the “Metal Gear Solid” franchise.
- Little is known about the new game and it is unclear if it is a sequel to the studio’s latest title, “Death Stranding.”
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
The studio behind “Death Stranding”, led by the legendary creator of the “Metal Gear” franchise, is working on a new project.
Kojima Productions announced it in a tweet Thursday morning. “#KojimaProductions confirms that a new project is in development and is looking to hire the best talent of its kind to work in our Tokyo studio,” he says.
The new project marks Kojima’s game studio’s second production since it became independent in 2015.
Previously, Kojima and his team operated as a subsidiary of Japanese game publisher Konami, where they produced the beloved “Metal Gear Solid” game and series. However, immediately before and after the release of 2015’s “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain”, the growing rifts between Kojima’s studio and Konami were made public.
- First, Kojima’s production division, known as Kojima Productions, had the logos and verbiage removed from the official website for “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” (viewed by members on the NeoGAF gaming forum at March 2015).
- Soon after, Kojima Productions disbanded (Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported).
- So Konami was forced to issue a statement. However, the statement did little to clarify the situation. (Here it is in its entirety.)
- When “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” won an award at The Game Awards later that year, Kojima was not allowed to attend and receive it. The game’s lead voice actor, Kiefer Sutherland, was present instead; watch the full video here.
- It was rumored at the time that Kojima’s contract with Konami would end in December 2015, and that he would potentially create his own studio.
- That rumor was apparently confirmed in late 2015 when Kojima left Konami, re-formed Kojima Productions as an independent studio, and created a PlayStation 4 exclusive game: 2019’s “Death Stranding.”
Although not as popular or as successful as Kojima’s previous titles, “Death Stranding” was both commercially and critically successful.
“We have absolutely crossed the line that we needed to cross to be in the black, including recovery of development costs, so I would call it a successful outcome,” Kojima told Livedoor in an interview translated by VGC earlier this year. “We still have the PC launch and we’ve secured enough to start preparing for our next project, so there’s no need to worry.”
It’s unclear if this new project is a sequel to 2019’s “Death Stranding” or something entirely new. Kojima, who is very active on social media, has come up with various ideas for a new game, from a horror project in the vein of his acclaimed “Silent Hills” demo to an outright sequel to “Death Stranding.”
Do you have a tip? Contact Business Insider Senior Correspondent Ben Gilbert via email ([email protected]), or Twitter DM (@realbengilbert). We can keep the sources anonymous. Use a non-work device to communicate. Public relations by email only, please.
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