Kojima Productions, the studio founded by legendary game developer Hideo Kojima, is hiring for what appears to be a new unannounced game according to recent job listings. Kojima is often recognized as something of a rock star within game development circles. The icon is best-known as the creator of Konami's Metal Gear series, a franchise which pushed the boundaries of what a video game can truly be with revolutionary gameplay and fourth-wall-breaking storytelling. Kojima departed from Konami back in 2015 in a split which is believed to be less than amicable. The departure was announced shortly after the cancellation of a Silent Hill reboot named Silent Hills, much to the dismay of horror gamers across the world. The title was tentatively hoped to be one of the scariest ventures in gaming, with it being claimed Silent Hills would "haunt" players even after quitting. Following the split, Kojima founded Sony studio Kojima Productions, the developer behind 2019's Death Stranding.
Kojima Productions recently revealed that a Death Stranding Director's Cut is coming soon, as announced during the recent 2021 Summer Game Fest. While confirmed details on the new release are sparse, it's safe to say gamers will see some technical upgrades and improvements with the game coming to PS5. Apart from that, the studio hasn't confirmed work on any other game, whether it be an existing IP or a brand-new venture. While fans of both Kojima and his games have been hoping for a new game announcement for a while, the company has remained quiet. However, it now looks as though gamers' dreams have come true, as new job listings direct from Kojima Productions seem to suggest development has begun on a new project.
As noted by Game Rant, a recent LinkedIn post has revealed that Kojima Productions is hiring for a number of roles, all of which hint that a new cycle of game development is on the horizon. Roles up for the taking include everything from project managers and characters artists, to producers and game designers, suggesting this is a full project which is likely in early development. While the listings themselves don't give too much away, it's worth noting that one of the roles is specifically for a Mechanic Artist for Weapons. This might put some players' fears to rest, as one of the biggest complaints around Death Stranding was its lack of combat and on-screen action. At the time of writing, there are a total of 21 jobs currently available at Kojima Productions, with the initial post going live around two weeks ago. As expected, the Japan-based studio is reportedly seeing a lot of applicants, though it's doubtful players will hear more on the seemingly upcoming game for a while.
The news of a new Kojima Productions project aligns with a tweet from Kojima himself, who last month took to Twitter to tease a return to work. While this tweet could have been in reference to the upcoming Death Stranding Director's Cut, it's possible that it instead refers to whatever the studio's next project is.
What the new game could be remains to be seen, but players are definitely hoping for a horror title from the legendary developer. Ever since the cancellation of Silent Hills, gamers have been crying out for Kojima to lead a horror game, with rumors of a Silent Hill reboot still rife to this day. Before Silent Hills bit the dust, Kojima Productions released a PS4-exclusive demo for the project, entitled P.T (standing for "playable teaser"). The demo was a resounding success, whetting players' appetites for a Kojima horror title. Unfortunately for those hoping for a Silent Hills revival, Konami still owns the Silent Hill IP, making a Kojima-directed SH game very unlikely. Whatever Kojima and his crew are cooking up, it's definitely going to be a game to take note of - especially if it's one which makes full use of the PS5 hardware and its DualSense controllers.
Death Stranding Director's Cut will come to the PlayStation 5 on an unspecified date; the base version is out now on PC and PS4.