In a recent interview with The Guardian, Hideo Kojima offered a sliver of insight into what his next project might be. Although it’s worth pointing out that the short tease was characteristically vague and cryptic, with the notoriously kooky game-designer giving very little away in terms of details.
Whilst promoting his divisive new release, Death Stranding, Kojima had an in-depth conversation with the British newspaper, wherein he justified his more controversial decisions, reflected on how the internet has failed to bring people closer together, and even opened up about how losing his father ultimately spurred him on to become the famed auteur he is today. It’s a great read, one that humanizes the eccentric auteur, whilst also explaining the intent behind his latest, baffling creation.
However, what’s really interesting about the piece is the small nugget towards the end, where he talks about what’s next for him:
“I can’t say right now, but it’s something you’ve never seen […] It’s a game, but also a movie … no, I’m starting to say it! Right now, you can broadcast Esports and people watch it. What’s the next step? A creator creates a game, someone plays it, and in the future, the viewers could become creators, too. I can’t say more than that.”
Granted this isn’t much to go on, but at least we know that he’s got something in the pipeline now that he’s finished with his weird, post-apocalyptic mailman story. Plus, judging by that last line, his signature ambition doesn’t seem to have been quashed by the mixed reception to Death Stranding. According to the article, Kojima later reiterated his comments at a Bafta presentation that same evening, so it would seem like that the project is presumably gaining traction. Hopefully, he will let more slip in the coming months.
Death Stranding is available now on PlayStation 4