Mechs confirmed?
More from Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima with his newly minted studio after extricating himself from Konami and partnering with PlayStation on a console exclusive new project. It’s far off, mind. They don’t even have an engine in mind after the years of work put into The Phantom Pain‘s FOX Engine. “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.”
But we do know Kojima brought Metal Gear Solid artist Yoji Shinkawa and producer Kenichiro Imaizumi with him to the new Kojima Productions. Shinkawa has lofty ambitions. “We’ve been working on a franchise that is beloved and has recognizable characters,” he said. “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.”
Kojima was a bit more reserved on the studio’s first project. “I’m thinking smaller-scale, not too many people, and focusing on game creation at first,” Kojima said. “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.” He also noted, “it will be a complete game,” if you were worrying over a Final Fantasy VII Remake style split.
The “agility” of a smaller scale operation might embolden Kojima to take even more chances. “We’ll have more agility. We’ll be able to do things that are more edgy, preserving the quality we’ve had so far, while at the same time finding new challenges and exploring new areas.” Shinkawa is overseeing art direction company wide, including, “characters, concepts for the backgrounds, concepts for the mechs.” Mechs! “I want to expand, on a personal level, the things I can do,” he said.
“I’ve been in this industry for 30 years. I turned 52 this year. I’m getting to a new start, and I am very confident,” Kojima said. “I’ll keep creating games until the day I die. Rest assured I’m making more games, something more fun, something you haven’t seen, and it would be great if I could count on the fans to support me in this.”
Hideo Kojima Talks New Studio, ‘Edgy’ PlayStation Game, and the Future [IGN]
