Hideo Kojima has spent decades in the gaming industry, and his legacy will outlive him many times over. Despite having plenty of classics under his belt, he shows no signs of slowing down, and his studio, Kojima Productions, has a few projects on its plate, including an upcoming Xbox game. Although not much is known yet about this game, it has the gaming world intrigued, as Kojima has revealed that the game will be making use of Microsoft's cloud technology.
According to journalist and industry insider Tom Henderson, the project currently in development at Kojima Productions is a horror game called Overdose. If it is anything like Kojima's prior games, it will be an enigmatic title that cleverly subverts expectations. With his boundless imagination, Kojima's games can sometimes confuse huge swaths of gamers. However, he could avoid this problem in the future by making use of his new podcast, Brain Structure.
What Is Brain Structure?
In the days leading up to Gamescom 2022, many gamers believed that Kojima would show up and present something about one of his upcoming games. Kojima did show up, but he didn't present any games. Instead, he announced that he has a new podcast called Brain Structure launching on Spotify this year. According to Kojima, the podcast will be centered on gaming, and he will feature guests from different fields. The podcast will also feature an industry news and entertainment segment from Geoff Keighley, who is Kojima's good friend.
Kojima launched the first episode of Brain Structure this month, and it discussed how fans inspired his new podcast and what the podcast's title means. For anyone interested in Kojima and his eccentric ideas, the podcast is not to be missed, as its long-form allows the auteur to speak at length about his creative processes. The podcast is also the perfect place for Kojima to fill his fans in on Overdose and what he intends to do with the game.
How Brain Structure Could Benefit Overdose
When Death Stranding was released, it caught the attention of the gaming world, but many gamers did not understand the game and its convoluted narrative. Kojima explored plenty of complex ideas in Death Stranding, and the game deals with themes of grief and isolation. However, when gamers have to deal with Timefall, Beached Things, Vog, and all sorts of other strange phenomena, it can be difficult to figure out precisely what the game's central message is. While Kojima fans are likely used to this enigmatic storytelling style, it may have been a bit too confusing for many gamers.
Kojima could avoid Overdose falling victim to the same issue with Brain Structure. With a podcast of his own where he can speak uninterrupted, Kojima can explain as much as he wants about the game, its central themes, and any of the more complex elements of the plot. After listening to a podcast explaining the game, plenty more gamers may be more open to Kojima's eccentric ways. However, though the podcast is incredibly useful, it should not be overused either, as ambiguity is an aspect of Kojima's art that strengthens it, which could be ruined if things are over-explained.
Kojima's inspirations stretch far beyond gaming, encompassing literature and film, too. Consequently, it is likely that as Kojima discusses his inspirations on his podcast, the topics covered will not be limited to gaming. The podcast provides a microphone for Kojima, which is one he could use to shed light on some of the more hard-to-understand aspects of his games, including Kojima Productions' upcoming project with Microsoft.