Hideo Kojima is reportedly in talks with Microsoft about publishing his next game. That’s according to a new report from VentureBeat journalist and reliable industry insider Jeff Grubb who’s been speaking with a source “familiar with the matter.”
According to VentureBeat’s report, Microsoft and the Death Stranding developer have been in discussions over publishing Kojima’s next game to the Xbox platform and that recent presentations given by Phil Spencer, which feature the Kojima Productions statue in the background, are, in fact, “referencing a potential deal with the legendary developer.” Grubb goes on to say that he cannot confirm if Microsoft has closed a deal with Kojima but understands that “Kojima is the focus of a Microsoft plan to leverage Japanese talent.”
The report comes shortly after PlayStation Blog announced a new PS5 exclusive called Abandoned. The survival game is being developed by Blue Box Game Studio — a developer which many had never heard of before. Rumours began to spread that Abandoned was some sort of secret Kojima project but has since been debunked by the developer in a statement on its website.
Phil Spencer has repeatedly said that he wants to improve Xbox’s standing in Japan, and an exclusivity deal with Kojima Productions for its next game could do exactly that.