Hideo Kojima scrapped a dark superhero project because it was too "similar" to 'The Boys'.

The video game icon - who is known for his work on the likes of 'Death Stranding' and the 'Metal Gear' series - has revealed the Amazon TV show cause him to ditch his project, which he wanted Mads Mikkelsen to star in.

He tweeted: "I thought I'd watch the rest of the show.

"Actually, I watched a few episodes that were delivered at the time when I was about to start a project that I had been warming up for a long time and put it on hold because the concept was similar (different settings and tricks).

"A buddy (male/female) thing with a special detective squad facing off against legendary heroes behind the scenes. I was thinking of Mads as the lead.

"Today, when superheroes continue to be mass-produced in the entertainment industry, this drama was to be a radical hard-boiled action film, neither hero nor villain, with an astonishingly black joke setup and a worldview that is the opposite of what we are used to."

Hideo didn't reveal whether his project was being planned as a movie or game, although his Kojima Productions company has been open to exploring films and music.

Meanwhile, he is currently working with Xbox Game Studios on a new title, although details are scarce.

He teased: "It may take some time, but I hope to bring you some exciting news in the future."