Hideo Kojima's career may have gone in a very different direction after leaving Konami, but he and his studio have been no less successful since then. 2019's Death Stranding was hailed as an excellent new chapter for Kojima Productions in the wake of the studio gaining independence, and now all eyes are on what Kojima Productions does next. A Death Stranding sequel seems inevitable, given the success of the first game and the powerful potential of the concept, but it's not all that lies ahead for the studio. Kojima Productions is reportedly working on a new game that's exclusive to the Xbox as well.
The Xbox collaboration is a little surprising, given how Death Stranding was largely a PlayStation title, but it's also clever. Kojima Productions stands to gain a lot from building franchises on both the Xbox and the PlayStation. However, while it's a savvy business move, the Xbox collaboration remains a total mystery. There are a few clues about the Xbox game's possible nature, but nothing has been confirmed so far. In that way, there's an interesting contrast between a possible Death Stranding sequel and the Xbox game. While Kojima Productions' future on the PlayStation seems bright and secure, its plans for the Xbox are awfully hard to predict.
The State of Kojima's Xbox Game
A few clues from the last few years offer some insight on Kojima Productions' Xbox title. For instance, in 2020, Hideo Kojima discussed his desire to make a new horror game that would break new ground in the genre. It's possible that Xbox is interested in publishing Kojima's hypothetical horror game, leading it to reach out and strike a deal to work with his studio. Some reports suggest that Xbox picked up the game after PlayStation turned it down, and insiders have claimed that Kojima Productions and Xbox have signed letters of intent to work together. Kojima Productions haven't confirmed anything, but some kind of game is seemingly in the works.
The trail largely runs cold there. A horror game from Kojima Productions definitely has legs, given Kojima's horror accomplishments in PT, but no deeper concept has surfaced yet. It's entirely possible that the Kojima-Xbox project has nothing to do with Kojima's horror idea; Kojima Productions may have an entirely different IP to offer the Xbox like the more action-oriented Death Stranding. Rumors about this game have been swirling for about a year now, so it's surprising that no official confirmation has come just yet.
Kojima Productions is Only Getting Started
For the time being, Death Stranding is the only game that defines Kojima Productions' current independent era, but that's not such a bad thing. Death Stranding is an extremely innovative title that sets the studio apart from most others and shows that Hideo Kojima is still full of unique ideas. At the same time, the rumored Xbox game probably doesn't have anything to do with Death Stranding. It's unlikely that Death Stranding 2 will make the leap to Xbox exclusivity, since the franchise's audience is largely on the PlayStation. However, Death Stranding does serve as powerful motivation for other video game publishers to strike deals with Kojima Productions.
Fans of Kojima's work should keep an eye out for announcements in the future. Cryptic images on Kojima Productions' social media featuring clocks at various times of day could be teasers for an upcoming announcement; in other words, confirmation of the Xbox game could be around the corner. The Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase would be the perfect time to announce an Xbox-Kojima collaboration, so it's possible that Kojima Productions is warming up its fans for some kind of teaser there. Death Stranding and the rumored Xbox game may be opposites in terms of publicity for now, but maybe they'll be peers soon.
Death Stranding is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
