Death Stranding developer Kojima Productions has opened a new division in Los Angeles that will be dedicated to movies, TV and music.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the new studio will be led by former PlayStation Vice President of business affairs, Riley Russell, who will lead the California team as the developer looks to branch out into a wider range of media.
"The team has as its charter, the goal of expanding the reach and awareness of the properties now under development at Kojima Productions, and to make them even more a part of our popular culture," explains Russell in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.
"Although we are a global organization, the new business development team will be centred in Los Angeles, CA. We are truly excited and looking forward to working with the very best entertainment talent we can, across all of the entertainment industries."
Kojima Productions was set up by video game designer Hideo Kojima in 2015 following his split with Konami. While the studio has since only produced one game in Death Stranding (or two if you count the subsequent Director's Cut), many fans have been speculating as to what the studio's next project might be.
Since the release of Death Stranding, the rumour mill has churned up a number of different reports surrounding what Kojima is currently working on. From fan speculation earlier this year suggesting that Blue Box Games' Sony exclusive Abandoned might be a secret Kojima game to alternate rumours indicating that he might be working on a completely different title alongside Xbox, there's been a lot to unpick.
In June, Kojima offered some insight into the future during an interview where he stated that he was rethinking his creative process following the events of the COVID-19 pandemic. “In the past, about creating things, I was always thinking about what could happen in society in 5, 10, or 20 years,” Kojima said in the interview.
“It was like predicting the future and adding the entertainment essence. And that’s how I always created. But this time, [the pandemic] came much too soon. The reality came much too soon, especially on Death Stranding. So I’ve changed how I think and create now.”
While in the past, rumours about the what's next for Kojima Productions and the game designer himself have largely revolved around projects from within the games industry, the addition of a new division created to branch out into other realms of media will only likely add to that fire and fans excitement.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.