It has been a good few days since XBOX found a string of good press spoiled by a couple of bad stories. Tales hit social circles of imminent layoffs, studio closures, and project cancellations, and all the positivity spread by the green team over the last few months started to pale in comparison to the daunting things ahead.
That said, many still believe the future is bright for XBOX, and one such person is Asha Sharma, the new(ish) CEO and the prolific face of the at-times tumultuous business. In a recent super-sized article from Entertainment Weekly, Sharma was caught speaking about Hideo Kojima’s upcoming OD, and while doing so, she made a bold suggestion.
Will XBOX Find The Next Hideo Kojima?
Towards the end of a stunning report built around the 25th anniversary of XBOX, Entertainment Weekly printed comments from Hideo Kojima about his upcoming game, OD. Not much is known about this game, other than the fact it walks the line between a traditional video game and a deeply cinematic experience, but that’s what we’ve come to expect from the legendary Japanese creator by now.
Speaking about the game without giving too much away, Kojima explained:
I wanted to do something new. I wanted to do something different. I had this OD concept since I was working on Death Stranding, and I was working on it just by myself. I can’t reveal much detail, but it’s something that no one has ever seen before. A new game system.
He suggested that people thought he was ‘crazy’ when he pitched the concept of OD, and it didn’t matter if he went to ‘big companies’ or the ‘up-and-coming companies’; nobody wanted to touch OD.
That was until XBOX came along.
Kojima explained that Phil Spencer, former CEO, was the one to see the vision through the craziness, and reportedly, Asha Sharma also has the sage ability to see what Kojima is trying to do.
Sharma went on record as describing OD as a ‘deeply moving game’ that needs space to flesh itself out as ‘another kind of game.’
Kojima teased an innovative system that keeps people playing even when they’re too scared to continue. I’d say color me intrigued, because I’m the kind of person to press pause when a jumpscare shakes me in my chair.
Sharma was then quoted as making a relatively bold statement about the power of XBOX and the potential for the future:
(XBOX has) not reached the boundary of games, and, therefore, we need to make sure our platform is sufficiently open so more creators and developers can come on board and be successful, because the next Kojima is yet to be known.
Sharma’s vision for XBOX will invite not just more developers, but more types of games and more ways to play them. These comments come at a time when XBOX is facing bad press for allegedly trying to shut down studios left and right, so take that with a pinch of salt, maybe? Don’t quote me on that.
Are you eager to see if XBOX can facilitate the surfacing of the next Hideo Kojima? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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