Xbox boss puts Kojima toy on a shelf, internet explodes

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If you’re wondering why everybody is suddenly acting like Microsoft is about to buy Kojima Productions, it’s because Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, recently put a toy on a shelf. That’s literally it. You can stop reading now… unless you want to keep going for a breakdown of how truly weird the internet is.

Spencer appeared at Microsoft’s AI and Gaming Research Summit earlier today to speak about pie-in-the-sky ideas around future gaming tech. On stream, Spencer’s office was filled with gaming paraphernalia from both Xbox and other, non-Microsoft gaming properties. A toy of Ludens, the Kojima Productions mascot, was standing behind Spencer, right next to an Xbox logo.

Xbox fans have been gently trained to overanalyse Spencer’s office since last year, when the Xbox Series S debuted in the background of a stream months before it was officially announced. So ‘Microsoft buying Kojima Productions’ confirmed, right? Er, well, no, not quite. Not at all, actually, Not even a little.

See, Spencer’s office also includes the skull mask from Watch Dogs Legion, and a Nintendo Switch. So clearly, Xbox is picking up not just Kojima Productions, but also Ubisoft and Nintendo. And hey, Konami too, while we’re at it. Assassin’s Creed: Silent Hills confirmed for the Microsoft Switch Pro, launching next month. Add it to the list of upcoming PC games. Woohoo!

I really want a website to pick this tweet up and take it seriously
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) February 23, 2021

…or perhaps not.

The funny thing is, Microsoft could totally pick up Kojima Productions, if the terms were right – it’s no more absurd than buying Bethesda, anyway. If this all sounds familiar, it’s because we had this exact rumour start last year, when a joke article from a Spanish magazine got taken out of context and then interpreted seriously.

Microsoft is hosting an AI and gaming conference this week, and it looks like @XboxP3 is briefly back on campus. Time to find the clues in Phil's office👀 pic.twitter.com/fC0zuHO9DJ
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) February 23, 2021

That’s not even the first time this one has cropped up – Spencer hit Twitter to publicly deny speculation that Microsoft was picking up Silent Hills after Kojima’s split with Konami way back in 2015. The internet shall never change, it seems.