Highlights
- Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer reveals that Kojima Productions' Xbox exclusive is still in development and that the studio needs time and freedom to realize their creative vision.
- The project remains shrouded in secrecy, with fans left to speculate about the nature of the game after a vague description was given at the Xbox Games Showcase.
- Microsoft takes a hands-off approach to both third-party collaborations and first-party studio management, allowing Kojima Productions to work at their own pace and share details about the project when they are ready.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer shared a small update on Kojima Productions untitled Xbox console exclusive, all the while insisting that Hideo Kojima and his team need time out of the public eye to realize their creative vision. This bit of insight into the ongoing project arrived weeks after a sizable Xbox marketing team visited Kojima Productions, inspiring hope among the fandom that some announcement is on the horizon.
The mysterious title was originally confirmed at the June 2022 Xbox Games Showcase. On that occasion, Kojima revealed that his first-ever Xbox exclusive will leverage cloud technology in order to deliver a one-of-a-kind interactive experience. The famous game designer and his team remained mum on the project ever since, leaving fans to ponder what that vague description could entail.
During a recent interview with Japanese outlet Game Watch, Spencer provided a succinct status update on the mysterious game, revealing that he's scheduled to visit Kojima Productions during the final week of September. "I think the project is going well," the executive opined, in addition to labeling this prolonged period of radio silence as a necessary part of the creative process. Elaborating on that point, Spencer said that providing Kojima Productions with enough time and freedom to experiment with its novel ideas "out of the spotlight" is crucial to supporting the company in realizing its vision for the game.
Microsoft hence doesn't intend to urge the studio to take the stage and share more details about the project with the public until it's ready to do so on its own, the executive concluded. Based on those comments, it is not a huge stretch to assume that the game is nowhere near completion. For reference, Death Stranding spent around four years in development, and that's without trying to push the envelope at the intersection of gaming and technology like this Xbox project promises to do.
Spencer's update on Kojima Productions' ongoing development effort underlines Microsoft's hands-off approach to both third-party collaborations and first-party studio management. Since starting its massive content push following the 2017 launch of Xbox Game Pass, the company only intervened in development in order to dictate target platforms or postpone releases. Bethesda can attest to both of those practices, as Spencer himself confirmed while explaining the decision to delay Starfield and pull it from PlayStation.
As for the project at hand, one industry insider previously reported that Kojima Productions' Xbox exclusive is a horror experience called Overdose. The Nice Guys star Margaret Qualley is also said to be part of the game's cast, as per the same source.
Source: Game Watch, TechRaptor