Following the release of Death Stranding late last year on the PlayStation 4, fans have been wondering what's next for Hideo Kojima and his independent studio. The legendary developer has provided a few teases such as smaller, episodic games as well as a mysterious new major title. Kojima has also spoken about new media and projects outside of traditional videos games like manga, animation, and even movies. However, a new rumor is currently making the rounds which could influence what the studio does next.
The latest rumor comes from HipHopGamer who posted a clip on Twitter discussing the PlayStation 5. The nearly 24 minute video specifically mentions that Sony is planning to purchase Kojima Productions to add it to its already impressive stable of first party studios and their next title will be the long rumored horror game. Part of this deal stems from how supportive Sony has been with helping Kojima get his new studio up and running. As such, he also mentions that Kojima has had influence over the design of the PlayStation 5 and further worked on advancing the Decima Engine.
However, HipHopGamer doesn't list any sources only that the content he's speaking about are things he's heard. Still, many comments on Twitter are from fans who aren't sure if this is simply a prediction more than a rumor. Regardless, PlayStation fans should take this news with a grain of salt until Sony confirms or denies the rumors officially.
Still, Kojima uniting with Sony isn't outrageous. Besides the fact that Death Stranding is a PlayStation 4 console exclusive and the extensive amount of Metal Gear games which appeared on previous PlayStation consoles, Sony also provided a lot of assistance to Hideo Kojima after his messy break up with Konami. Kojima Productions became an independent studio, though it also partnered with Sony Interactive Entertainment to start working on Death Stranding. Not only that, Kojima received help from Guerrilla Games and their Decima Engine to power the experience.
Kojima's connection to horror is also well known due to his work on P.T. and Silent Hills before it was cancelled by Konami. Over the past month, rumors have once again tied Kojima to a new Silent Hill game and Konami, which is certainly surprising due to how poorly the working relationship between both sides ended. Whether it's Silent Hill or something new entirely, Kojima has previously mentioned that he'd like to create a new horror game.
With the new generation of consoles on the horizon, both Sony and Microsoft are gearing up to come out of the gates strong. Part of how they've done that so far is to acquire new talent and studios to create compelling exclusive content. Microsoft has been very vocal about its newly acquired studios like Obsidian and Ninja Theory, though Sony has also been adding to its lineup. Insomniac Games was the most recent purchase, but it's clear that they may no be done. Picking up Kojima Productions next would likely be a very easy decision.