Hideo Kojima's Next Game Could Be Exclusive To Xbox

In a big shakeup from his last game, Death Stranding, it's looking like Hideo Kojima is going to partner with Microsoft for a new Xbox game next.

Insider Jeff Grubb reports that Microsoft and Kojima have signed a letter of intent for a new game. This is not an official binding contract, importantly, but it seems to point to the possibility that Kojima's next game will be made for Xbox (the name that Microsoft gives to Xbox and PC games). Grubb cited the information to his unnamed sources.

"This is a key step in the negotiations between the Metal Gear Solid creator and the Xbox company. This signifies that both parties have agreed to a generalized deal while lawyers continue hashing out the finer points," Grubb said.

According to the report, Microsoft and Kojima have been working behind the scenes for "months" already regarding a partnership. "The deal is so close that Microsoft has begun preparing for what Kojima will need to make his new game," Grubb reported.

The report goes on to say that Kojima's new game will be made, at least in part, for the cloud. Microsoft just recently hired Portal designer Kim Swift to run the company's new initiatives for cloud-based games, and Kojima's will be among them, the report said.

We don't know what Kojima's game will be, and that's not at the crux of this announcement apparently. The report that the thrust of the deal between Microsoft and Kojima is to "unlock the creativity of Kojima Productions using Microsoft's technology as opposed to greenlighting a specific pitch."

It's still very early days, and neither Microsoft nor Kojima have made any official announcements about this. We've contacted Microsoft in an attempt to get more details.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer may have dropped clues about the reported Kojima deal, as a Ludens statue from Death Stranding can be seen in his office in the background of public video calls. It's possible this is not connected in any way beyond fandom, however.

Kojima is still in business with Sony, as Death Stranding: The Director's Cut is in the works for PlayStation 5.