Kojima Productions Starting from Zero for 2009

228w ago - Being one of Konami's biggest studios, Kojima Productions has some big plans for 2009. What are they up to? What's big man Hideo Kojima working on? And more importantly, are David Hayter and the rest of the gang still willing to work on more Metal Gear games despite some (questionable) psychological trauma?

Speaking to Famitsu about their plans for 2009, Hideo Kojima reveals that their studio will be starting with a clean slate (well, considering that Ryan Payton has already left...) and still aim to be a global competitor in the video game industry.

Interestingly enough, it seems as if Hideo Kojima is feeling the pressure from Western studios. What with so many industry key persons stating that video game development is no longer centered in Japan, Kojima Productions is now reviewing their current team structure, tools, staff, and basic operations.

I've thought a lot about how Western games have been winning, looking it from a global perspective, and there are things that I've noticed. So 2009 will be a year of change, a year where we start from zero again.

With games, you've got to use cutting-edge techniques, and doing so costs money - so I don't think you can make games that just appeal to the Japanese market. So, 2009 will see us continuing to think how to create a team that can take on the world.

That's weird coming from the guy who made MGS4. Considering it's been quite a success in both Japan and western markets, you'd think Kojima would be pretty confident in his studio's capacity to deliver global-standard games. Well, this is coming from the guy, after all, who said he himself wasn't satisfied with MGS4!

Whatever the case, it looks like they really got some big plans for this year! Can't wait to see what they've got in store for us!