The creator of the legendary 'Metal Gear' franchise just announced a new game

• The Japanese gaming studio led by "Metal Gear Solid" creator Hideo Kojima announced a new project this week.
• It's the second project since the studio became independent in 2015. Prior to that, Kojima Productions existed as a subsidiary of Japanese game publisher Konami, where Kojima created and oversaw the "Metal Gear Solid" franchise.
• Little is known about the new game, and it's unclear if it's a sequel to the studio's last title, "Death Stranding."

The studio behind "Death Stranding," led by the legendary creator of the "Metal Gear" franchise, is working on a new project.

Kojima Productions announced as much in a tweet on Thursday morning. "#KojimaProductions confirms a new project is in development and is looking to hire the best-in-class talent to work out of our Tokyo studio," it says.

The new project marks the second production from Kojima's game studio since going independent in 2015.

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Previously, Kojima and his team operated as a subsidiary of Japanese game publisher Konami where they produced the beloved "Metal Gear Solid" game and series. Immediately prior to and following the launch of 2015's "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain," however, growing rifts between Kojima's studio and Konami became public.

• First, Kojima's production division, known as Kojima Productions, had its logos and verbiage removed from the official "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" website (spotted by members at gaming forum NeoGAF in March 2015).
• Soon after, Kojima Productions was dissolved (Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported).
• Then, Konami was forced to issue a statement. The statement, however, did little to clarify the situation. (Here it is in full.)
• When "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" won an award at The Game Awards later that year, Kojima wasn't allowed to attend and receive it. The game's main voice actor, Kiefer Sutherland, was on hand in his place — see the full video here.
• It was rumored at the time that Kojima's contract with Konami was to end in December 2015, and he would potentially create his own studio.
• That rumor was seemingly confirmed in late 2015 as Kojima left Konami, re-formed Kojima Productions as an independent studio, and created a PlayStation 4 exclusive game: 2019's "Death Stranding."

Though not as popular or as success as previous Kojima titles, "Death Stranding" went on to critical and commercial success.

"We've absolutely crossed the line we needed to cross to be in the black, including recovering development costs, so I'd call it a successful result," Kojima told Livedoor in an interview translated by VGC earlier this year. "We still have the PC release coming up, and we've secured enough to begin preparing for our next project, so there's no need to worry."

It's unclear if this new project is a sequel to 2019's "Death Stranding" or something entirely new. Kojima, who is very active on social media, has teased various ideas for a new game — everything from a horror project along the lines of his acclaimed "Silent Hills" demo to an outright "Death Stranding" sequel.

Got a tip? Contact Business Insider senior correspondent Ben Gilbert via email (bgilbert@businessinsider.com), or Twitter DM (@realbengilbert). We can keep sources anonymous. Use a non-work device to reach out. PR pitches by email only, please.