Time to speculate about Hideo Kojima’s latest reveal!

Over a year ago (March of 2015, to be exact), gamers were hit with the shocking news that Hideo Kojima, the creative mind behind the Metal Gear series (and more), was parting ways with Konami. That bombshell was followed by the unfortunate cancellation of the highly anticipated Silent Hills, the formation of his independent studio Kojima Productions, and the reveal that his next game with be a PlayStation exclusive. While we still don’t know much about what he has planned, the famed developer has been dropping hints about what’s to come on social media, and in interviews. The latest update? He gave fans a peek at LUDENS, the “icon” of Kojima Productions! Check it out below.

1/3
LUDENS, the icon of Kojima Productions. pic.twitter.com/brM16iFgNi

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) May 17, 2016

Boy, he, she, (it?) cuts quite the figure! After months of wondering what was going on in the studio’s logo; I was kind of hoping it was some sort of robotic chicken, but alas; we finally have our first look at the futuristic character. At first glance, he appears to be a futuristic soldier of some sort, garbed in a fantastic suit. But, if you look a bit closer, you’ll notice the glowing skull within the helmet. Whatever is going on in the image, we’re officially intrigued. Following the tweet above, Kojima shared more information about LUDENS’ suit.

“We’ll deliver THE NEW PLAY in THE NEW FUTURE with the cutting-edge equipment, technology, & the frontier spirit,” he tweeted. Of course, the character wouldn’t be complete without a nod to the Metal Gear franchise. “The gear he’s wearing is the extra-vehicular activity (EVA) creative suit,” he elaborated in another tweet.

We’re still trying to figure out what we’re looking at (Metal Gear in space?! That’s what EVA suits are for!), and what it means for the mysterious PlayStation title he’s planning. After a brief silence following his world tour with Mark Cerny, and DICE speech with Guillermo Del Toro (whom he was working on Silent Hills with), Kojima’s been making headlines again because of the hints he’s been dropping about his new project.

When the weekly Japanese magazine Famitsu (with quotes gathered via Gematsu) recently asked Kojima-san about the new title, he noted, “It’s an amazing game. We’re thinking about everything all at once, including the plot, characters, and game systems. Since certain parts are fairly new, we cannot help but experiment.” The curious thing, however, is that he suggested that fans of Ubisoft’s latest game, The Division, and the Uncharted series, will be “able to easily enjoy it.”

“When it is announced, you might think ‘that’s not that outstanding,’ but you’ll understand when you see it and play it. The genre is action.”

From the look of LUDENS (if the character is even related to the new game, that is), we’re sure to be in for a unique, action-packed, treat.

What do you think about LUDENS? Are you as excited as we are? What do you hope to see in Kojima’s new game? Let us know in the comments below, join the conversation on Facebook, or start one with me on Twitter: @Samantha_Sofka.

Image Credit: Kojima Productions