Xbox and Kojima reportedly in talks for publishing deal Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Xbox and Kojima reportedly in talks for publishing deal Kim Swift hire part of plans. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 2 Jul 2021 66 comments Talks between Xbox and Hideo Kojima are reportedly underway, with the aim to secure a publishing agreement. Venturebeat - which first reported on potential plans for a deal between the two back in April - say discussions have now progressed to the stage that a letter of intent has been signed while legal teams hash out the finer details. This leaves development work to continue (and Xbox boss Phil Spencer to continue displaying a Kojima Productions figurine on his shelf) in the meantime. Watch on YouTube That said, the project itself still sounds fairly nebulous, with Venturebeat noting it involves Kojima exploring possibilities provided by Microsoft's cloud technology. As for a letter of intent - well, it's far from a signed contract to produce a game for Xbox when all is said and done. "At its most basic level, a letter of intent is just that: a letter where two (or more) parties indicate their 'intent' to enter into a more formal agreement," Richard Hoeg, lawyer and host of the Virtual Legality podcast, told Eurogamer. "The letter will generally contain a statement that the two sides want to work together, a description of what that working together might entail (in terms of deliverables to be provided, schedule of work, compensation, etc.), and then certain restrictions on the parties. Of note, it's only the last category that is typically 'binding' on the parties, covering things like confidentiality, restrictions on how and when a party might shop the project to others, and potential penalties for walking away; the remainder of an LOI is best read as a roadmap for the lawyers to draft the real (or 'definitive') agreements." Spencer (left) and the Kojima Productions astronaut mascot. Kojima confirmed he had a new project in the works last October, when a fresh round of hiring was advertised for his Tokyo-based studio. Last night, Venturebeat reported that talks between Kojima and Xbox had been ongoing for "months" and last week's hiring of Portal developer Kim Swift to oversee new Xbox cloud game partnerships was to work on Kojima's project. Kojima, of course, most recently partnered with Sony to release Death Stranding for PlayStation 4. In May 2020, Kojima insisted Death Stranding had been successful and earned back its budget for PlayStation, despite a protracted development. As for what was next, however, Kojima admitted he'd recently had a "major project" cancelled. "I'm pretty pissed, but that's the games industry for you," he wrote. Still, ties between PlayStation and Kojima have not been completely severed. Last month, Kojima revealed a Death Stranding PS5 Director's Cut, and said a full reveal for that was "weeks away". Finally, as we've now heard repeatedly, Kojima is nothing to do with Abandoned, the PS5 horror game from Blue Box Game Studios - despite what the internet might have you believe. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 3 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 3 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store