When it rains, it pours. Hideo Kojima, Konamis legendary designer and director of the Metal Gear Solid series, should know: Any time he announces a new teaser, the down-pour of conspiracies and rumours is overwhelming. First the man threw us off at GDC 09, announcing a new Metal Gear Solid amidst a silhouette of what looked to be Raiden in the background. Then he posted a new teaser on his site - a scenic shot of rolling clouds and open grass with the words Next in the foreground.
If you head here, go to Tools and then Page Info in Firefox, youll find the following keywords associated with the page: Hideo Kojima, MGS, METAL GEAR, NEXT, game, konami, kojima game, KJP, Kojima Production. Even more interestingly was the media embedded in the page. Those rolling clouds and open fields? They come under a single Shockwave Flash application name: Kumori.
Kumori is Japanese for Cloudy. However, more explicitly, its also the name of a famous 15th century ninja: Kumori Iga. Check out this description of Kumori Iga and see if you cant notice any similarity to another world-hopping ninja-like character from the MGS franchise:
Soon after the outbreak of the war Kumori Iga left Japan for reasons unknown and travelled to China. After spending some time in the Henan Province he continued west following the old silk road. He continued following it until he came to Rome.
Kumori Iga kept to himself during his travels, making sure his presence when unnoticed. His whereabouts after his arrival in Rome were unknown.
So what does it all mean? Is this yet another piece in the puzzle alluding to the existence of Raiden in Kojimas brand new project - one possibly separate from the main Metal Gear Solid lexicon? One things for sure: The inclusion of kumori is more than just another expression for Kojimas appreciation of the weather. Well find out on the 18th of May, the big date as advertised in Famitsu, to see what the connection really is between Konami, Kojima and Kumori.