Over his 35 years at Konami and heading his own development studio, Kojima Productions, Hideo Kojima has established himself as one of the most iconic names in the video games industry. Between his two-and-a-half years directing the Metal Gear Solid franchise and his own studio's Death Stranding, Kojima has become a household name in gaming. The legendary director is also very active on social media and recent holiday wishes from the Kojima Productions founder have fans wondering if he may have dropped hints at the developer's next big project.
Following Hideo Kojima's highly publicized departure from Konami in 2015, Kojima Productions re-established itself as an independent developer and began development on the former subsidiary's first major title, Death Stranding. Death Stranding's eventual release in 2019 was met with critical acclaim being nominated for several awards following its launch, including winning Best Game Direction and Best Score/Music at the 2019 Game Awards. Now, a recent Tweet from Kojima himself appears to potentially be teasing the studio's next major project.
The Tweet posted Thursday by Kojima seems to be a rather innocent season's greetings at first glance as the developer wishes his followers a "Happy Holidays," however the part that has many speculating comes with the image accompanying the post. The artwork, drawn by Metal Gear character designer Yoji Shinkawa, features three characters who have never been featured in any Kojima Productions game, possibly hinting at a future game the company could currently be developing. Shinkawa most recently worked with Kojima as the art director for Death Stranding.
A new game from Kojima Productions would be the studio's first game since Death Stranding released in 2019 and the second original game from the studio as an independent developer. Kojima Productions also released a 'Director's Cut' version of Death Stranding in September adding new content, visual upgrades, and new gameplay elements. The game was a massive success for Kojima Productions' first solo outing, selling over 5 million copies as of July.between PC and PS4.
Rumors regarding Hideo Kojima's next big project are nothing new for the iconic director. Rumors constantly float around about Kojima's involvement in projects like Death Stranding 2, Silent Hill, and the Metal Gear franchise to name a few. While many such rumors persist around the future of Kojima Productions and its next major game, the company has been building its repertoire in multiple fields with the developer recently establishing a TV and music division. Kojima Productions has quickly become a staple of the industry and with Hideo Kojima at the helm, their next project will surely excite and amaze fans.