Back in 2015, there were serious doubts about Hideo Kojima’s future in the gaming industry. Following the release of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, the iconic designer and director famously separated from long-term publishing partner Konami under a cloud of uncertainty. The divorce was long and bitter but ultimately led to the first Kojima Productions’ closure.
Fast forward to today, and the newest studio that carries Kojima’s name is in a dramatically better place than where the last one came to an end. Having entered into a partnership with Sony back in late 2015, its polarizing yet popular Death Stranding has been released on PS4, PS5, and PC. If credible insider rumors are to be believed though, things could be about to get even better for Kojima Productions. That’s because many believe the studio is now creating exclusives for both PlayStation and Xbox.
Kojima’s PlayStation Future
Having played such an integral role in helping to establish the newest incarnation of Kojima Productions, it’s easy to imagine that Sony's partnership with the studio isn’t over yet. While there’s been debate online as to where Death Stranding sits within Kojima’s body of work, it’s believed that the fledgling IP eventually met the targets that were set for it by the parties involved. Enough to seemingly warrant further investment and collaboration between the two, if rumors are to be believed. Norman Reedus let slip recently that a Death Stranding 2 was being explored, which means the sky’s the limit as to where the potential partnership could go.
There are obvious benefits to Kojima Productions’ partnership with Sony, to the point that it’s easy to envision the pair announcing a new project at some point in the future. Beyond offering the funding that’s integral to creating a project like Death Stranding, the latter also has an extensive marketing machine at its disposal that can make or break an ambiguous game commercially.
There are technological boons to be had from a relationship with Sony as well though, most prominently in the shape of continued access to Guerrilla Games’ Decima engine. Thanks to Horizon Forbidden West, the engine has come on leaps and bounds since its debut back in 2017. So much so that it’s easy to imagine its now polished state having a positive impact on development for the PS5.
It's become clear in recent weeks that Kojima Productions and Sony’s partnership won’t become deeper than it already is though. Thanks to recent acquisition rumors and an update to the PlayStation website, some fans had theorized that the studio was about to become a part of the latter’s first-party family. Hideo Kojima has since reassured fans that this won’t be the case, and that the studio will remain independent. The fact that Sony is on board with such a setup offers Kojima Productions clear freedom to explore other opportunities and partnerships.
Kojima’s Xbox Expansion
Ever since the release of Death Stranding, rumors have swirled online in regard to the shape of Kojima Productions’ next project. If some of these leaks are proven to be accurate, one of the studio’s upcoming games could be an Xbox console exclusive. Having seen its Google collaboration fall through following the Stadia strategy shakeup, reports suggest that Microsoft has stepped in to fund the studio’s seemingly episodic title. Specific details as to what the game could be about and what release format it might now be being built around are scarce at this point though.
Despite the ambiguity of the reports, a collaboration with Microsoft would make sense for Kojima Productions in a number of ways. Aside from enabling it to still cultivate all the benefits of its existing partnership with Sony, there are publicity boons for any studio entering into a deal with the American publisher right now. It almost goes without saying, but Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass has huge commercial potential and power. Thanks to the fact that it would essentially be creating a first-party title, Kojima Productions would potentially receive instant access to a player-base numbering in the millions on the game's launch day.
With millions of players almost guaranteed to try the game, Kojima Productions could theoretically afford to take even more creative risks during the game’s development, whilst leaning into Microsoft's cloud technology. On paper at least, greater freedom could improve the game in question from a design and implementation perspective. Both of these factors would likely boost the studio’s reputation amongst a player-base that’s been unable to play its recent efforts, which would stand it in good stead for the future. According to reputable insiders like Jeff Grubb, the collaboration between the pair was still on the table as late as last month, which means fans might get official confirmation of its existence soon.