[Update: Junji Ito has since clarified his earlier statement in a new tweet, translated from Japanese by eigogamejikkyo as follows:
“In a past interview, I said casually that I received an offer from Mr. Kojima, but in reality, it was a remark made at a party where he said, “If there is an opportunity, I may ask for your help”. I apologize to Mr. Kojima and all of the fans to whom I may have given false hope.”]
A new quote from Japanese horror manga legend Junji Ito has fans speculating that he will be collaborating with Death Stranding‘s Hideo Kojima on an upcoming horror game project, though there’s no confirmation of that as of yet. Hideo Kojima is primarily known for his work on the Metal Gear Solid franchise, but his most recent project, Death Stranding, was one of the most talked about games of the year and collected several Game of the Year awards in 2019 for its bizarre, innovative approach to design.
While Death Stranding certainly has horror elements, mostly in the presence of the Beached Things that can spawn out of nowhere and hunt the protagonist while remaining largely invisible, it’s not a horror game outright. That doesn’t mean Kojima hasn’t been attached to horror projects before, though, as he’s also one of the minds behind the short-lived but beloved Silent Hills project P.T., which was a game set to feature Norman Reedus as well and would have had director Guillermo del Toro working on it also. Unfortunately, that project was scrapped, but it’s possible fans will get an even more tantalizing horror game collaboration thanks to a new rumor that’s begun circulating after Comic-Con 2020.
During an interview at Comic-Con, Junji Ito revealed he isn’t currently working on any video game projects, but that he has been in touch with one person about the possibility – Hideo Kojima. In the interview, Ito elaborated on how he’s been in contact with Kojima, but is also extremely vague about the nature of that discussion and whether or not something is actually happening regarding it. Here’s Ito’s answer in full, via translator:
“I do know director Kojima and we have been in conversation that he may have a horror-based game that he may be doing, and so he has invited me to work on that, but there are no details yet.”
Ito is one of the most prolific and well-regarded horror manga authors in the world, having penned a number of stories that have garnered critical acclaim for their combination of unsettling body horror and imaginative scenarios. In many ways, Kojima and Ito are similar to their approach to their respective professions, having both made their name for introducing truly bizarre story-telling into worlds that remain compelling even when they’re at their most obtuse.
Naturally, the notion of a Hideo Kojima horror game that has Junji Ito as a collaborator is one that will excite horror fans across the world – whether or not they’re particularly fond of video games, too. Kojima’s already been hard at work blurring the lines between film and video game with titles like Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Death Stranding, so his work in particular could be a suitable bridge into horror video games for fans of scares that don’t necessarily find them while holding a controller in their hands.
