To many’s surprise, Kojima Productions has split from PlayStation and partnered with Xbox to publish its Metal Gear Solid successor, Physint, and Xbox has now commented on the split and its new partnership with Kojima Productions. No one knows exactly what went on behind closed doors, but based on recent reports, it seems the split came down to PlayStation’s renewed focus on exclusivity, budget issues, and similar ilk—all of which are historically expected out of Kojima and his studio.
Previously, studio head Hideo Kojima commented on the new Xbox partnership and explained that it took three months to come to the decision, as Physint is an important game to him and Kojima Productions. That potentially bodes well for the game, as it implies some serious talks and other partners took place, despite Kojima already partnering with Xbox on the horror game OD. Either way, during a recent visit to Kojima Productions, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma left a message on the whole ordeal.
Xbox on Kojima Productions: “To Invention and Adventure…”
Kojima Productions hosts a signboard for visitors, and it seems that Sharma stopped by the studio ahead of Tokyo Game Show, left an important note, and took photos with Kojima (with his trademark approach. She kept it simple, but direct: “To invention and adventure together with Xbox.” Kojima Productions previously said it shares a spirit with Xbox, with it seeming that those could be “invention” and “adventure” in gaming, and having Xbox physically written in a studio most known for its PlayStation partnerships is an obvious victory lap by Sharma.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.
Given Kojima Productions’ sheer pedigree in the industry, pioneering the stealth-action genre with Metal Gear Solid and releasing completely unique and utterly avant-garde games like Death Stranding, many feel like this was a colossal mistake on PlayStation’s part. The importance of pedigree on perception should not be understated, even when the numbers do not line up entirely. But that’s also not to say all Xbox fans are happy about the partnership either.
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Image via Kojima Productions -
Image via Kojima Productions -
Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment
Xbox has long wanted a stronger foothold in Japan, and Kojima Productions might possibly be the strongest “in” it has yet. However, as aforementioned, Kojima Productions makes incredibly expensive games—Death Stranding pulls in Hollywood actors, after all—and Xbox just launched its “reset” earlier this year. This “reset” and “restructuring” is corporate language to make layoffs in the thousands sound a little better than the truth, and so some fans have been quick to point out that studios like Doom’s id Software are being fundamentally changed and others shipped off to try and go it out on their own (Double Fine).
In 2018, Xbox began a shopping spree of studios that saw numerous acquisitions and ballooning responsibilities. Less than a decade later, pretty much all of those studios have been impacted in one way or another. PlayStation has not gone through the current strains on the industry unmarked either. But not even a decade after both companies ramped up, the landscape is rapidly shifting and not for the better.
