Death Stranding only just released, but that isn’t stopping Hideo Kojima and his development studio Kojima Productions from working on the next project. The renowned director tweeted an image on December 23, 2019, as he sat in the office “working on the next concept.” The image features two computer screens, one of which has a wallpaper of a large sand dune. (Editor’s Note: However, there’s every possibility—and likelihood—the tweet is simply of Kojima’s workspace and has nothing to do with the video game he’s starting work on.)
While Kojima has always been a game developer, dating back to 1987 with the release of the original Metal Gear, he has expressed interest in working in other mediums. In fact, earlier this year, it was confirmed that Kojima Productions would venture into the film space in addition to working on additional games. It’s unknown if this “next concept” mentioned will be a film, a game, or something entirely different—or what the meaning behind the carefully placed sand dune in the image is. (Editor’s Note: Again, entirely possible the picture is simply of Kojima’s workspace and is not any kind of Easter egg for his next game. In fact, it looks very much like the sand dune is simply the second monitor’s desktop background, a popular default Mac wallpaper image.)
Working on the next concept while no one is in the office. pic.twitter.com/1zIeo5nnBo
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) December 23, 2019
In November of 2019, Kojima expressed interest in making a horror experience, one he hopes to be “the scariest,” regardless of the form it could take. “Either it’s a movie or a game,” he said in reference to the potential project during a BAFTA panel.
As evidenced by P.T., the demo that was meant to show off the now-canceled Silent Hills game, Kojima is no stranger to the world of horror. P.T. is still referenced and fondly remembered today, with fans still uncovering the demo’s secrets, even five years after it originally released. While we’ll likely never know what was planned for Silent Hills, Kojima might still have a horror game up his sleeve.
Due to his significance in the video game industry, especially this year with the launch of Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima was PSLS’ Industry Person of the Year 2019 winner. Likewise, Death Stranding was crowned as our Game of the Year for 2019, due to its uniqueness and impact on the industry at large.