Hideo Kojima

[J4MES OX4D 10,025]

Has finally departed the clutches of Konami and done a deal with Sony for his own project which is great news. Thank christ a talent like that isn't tied down in the same fashion with publishers like Activision, Ubisoft and EA. He'll also be able to assemble a quality team with his longstanding reputation in the industry and deliver games at his pace with no cut content, forced microtransactions and daft deadlines. 

 

Konami are really the unsung bastards of the AAA gaming scene along with the usual suspects - they are abandoning their AAA games to focus on mobile gaming with only PES remaining. MGS V was a good game but ruined by dreadful management and other titles like Silent Hill which looked unreal in the tech demo were cancelled. Screw Konami! 

[Sennex 1,903]

I agree, I can't wait to see what he writes up next

[The3rdWalker 1,271]

Do you think it will be of good quality? Triple A console games aren't really known for patience in the development and release process, which strained this relationship in the first place between Konami and Kojima. Not to mention the switch from gaming to those slot machines

[J4MES OX4D 10,025]

Do you think it will be of good quality? Triple A console games aren't really known for patience in the development and release process, which strained this relationship in the first place between Konami and Kojima. Not to mention the switch from gaming to those slot machines

Kojima and his teams work in the AAA market in the past was of exceptional quality when he had control of content, budget and deadlines so I think he could restore the standard that we used to see in the major gaming market. Other studios that aren't tied to gaming politics such as CD Projekt Red prove that this can still be possible. 

 

The problem with Konami, Kojima and the MGS V project was down to the publishers having complete control over the product at a time when they wanted to exit the console gaming market. It was rumoured that Kojima didn't even want to make another MGS title as the 4th was supposed to be the final game in the series and this would explain why MGS V's story was non-existent and didn't want to take away anything he'd made previous when running his projects. I did enjoy The Phantom Pain but it was clear that the game wasn't made with the same level of passion, quality and direction and you do feel that Kojima was under some dictatorship in the process of churning it out. The online aspect stinks of Konami money-grabbing too and out of all the AAA publishers in existence; their online games are the worst I have ever seen yet that didn't stop them creating this microtransaction-focused online aspect in MGS V which was just appallingly concocted. 

 

I think Sony and Kojima will be a good partnership and we may not have an end-product for 5 years or so but I think it will be produced in immense quality and in the interest of gamers and not a focus of milking money. It should be a sound investment and something to look forward to. I expect Konami to be wobbling and downsizing in the mobile market in that period and it wouldn't surprise me if they go bankrupt in a few years time and I don't think they'll ever forgive themselves for losing Hideo and his team.  

[The3rdWalker 1,271]

If Sony won't rush him, it will be so uncomfortably successful.

[Sennex 1,903]

I don't think Sony will for whatever main title he works on; but I do see a ton of little titles coming out that might be rushed as sony tries to turn a profit fast.

 

if that makes sense

 

Also, What the hell happened to Konami? 

 

EDIT: Did you guys see this?

 

http://nichegamer.com/2015/12/metal-gear-artist-yoji-shinkawa-and-producer-kenichiro-imaizumi-join-new-kojima-productions/

 

 

We’ve learned (via IGN) that both former Metal Gear Solid artist Yoji Shinkawa (above right) and producer Kenichiro Imaizumi (above left) are joining Hideo Kojima in his newly formed and independent Kojima Productions.

 

Both creators will be filling senior roles, overseeing art design and production respectively. As for what their first game is, Kojima still isn’t ready to reveal juicy details, but he did tease a bit. “I want to create something that’s what people expect, but at the same time will have something new that people haven’t seen before,” Kojima said, while also saying that “it will be a complete game.”

 

Yoji Shinkawa added, “We’ve been working on a franchise that is beloved and has recognizable characters. One of my big goals is, visually, with whatever characters we create, to go beyond that, to be more recognizable, more beloved. That’s definitely one of the goals I have when it comes to the art side.”

 

Shinkawa said that he’ll be overseeing all of Kojima Productions’ art, including “characters, concepts for the backgrounds, concepts for the mechs,” and more. “One thing that’s different is I want to accept challenges and do things I wasn’t able to do before,” Shinkawa said. “I want to expand, on a personal level, the things I can do.”

 

For its first project, Kojima said, “I’m thinking smaller-scale, not too many people, and focusing on game creation at first.” Coming from this, Kojima said the studio can possibly expand to produce more than just games.

 

“The focus is on digital content, so we could consider movies, animations, anything,” Kojima said. “But first I think people expect games from me. That’s where I want to put my focus. Once we have an established IP in games, something solid that satisfies people, then we can consider movies and videos.”

 

Kojima also mentioned once again that he is still interested in working alongside Guillermo del Toro, regardless of it being a game, film, or anything really.

 

As for the studios new logo, Kojima also talked up its design. “I’ve always loved astronauts, and [the new Kojima Productions logo] is designed so it can be seen as a medieval knight or an astronaut’s helmet,” Kojima said. “The concept is, with new technology and a pioneer spirit, we want to bring you to a new realm – within the digital world, I mean – we want to travel together with you to a new realm to which no one has gone before.”

 

“As for the skeleton, we’re homo sapiens – people of wisdom – but we’re also homo ludens – people who play – and the concept behind this logo is that: With new technology and a pioneer spirit, we’ll deliver play to a new world.”

 

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that Kojima Productions is still unsure of what engine to use for their first game. “We could go either way,” Kojima said, “whether it’s using an existing engine or making another engine. We’ll have to do some research before making a decision on that one.”