Kojima teams up with Niantic for new ‘geospatial’ game

This week, Kojima Productions held its ‘Beyond the Strand' event, celebrating the studio's 10-year anniversary and surprising fans with new announcements as the team looks to expand Death Stranding and introduce new IP. One of the surprise announcements was a new game Kojima is working on in collaboration with Niantic.

Niantic Spatial CEO, John Hanke, joined Kojima on stage to announce a “new technology partnership”. This collaboration will see Kojima Productions leveraging Niantic's geospatial AI technology to bring Kojima's iconic storytelling to the real-world setting.

The collaboration marks a significant moment for both companies. For the Kojima Productions side, it's a bold expansion into new forms of media beyond traditional gaming. For Niantic Spatial, it underlines the potential of geospatial AI technology to transform how people and machines understand and interact with the physical world. Speaking on the project, Hanke said: “At Niantic Spatial, we're building a living model of the world that people and machines can talk to, creating a new canvas for real-world storytelling and interaction. We are delighted to be working with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS to explore what our combined creativity and innovation can accomplish for new and existing fans.”

The game seems to focus on real-world exploration, much like Pokémon Go, yet the trailer includes a couple of scenes that feel reminiscent of Death Stranding. Whether this signals a direct connection or simply a thematic echo is unclear, but considering Death Stranding’s emphasis on travel and connection, it certainly feels like this game could fit right in with the IP.

KitGuru Says: We've seen lots of these ‘geo' games over the past decade, but few have risen to the same heights as Pokémon Go. If anyone can unlock that market with sheer creativity, I'd put my money on Kojima. 

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