Hideo Kojima wants people to know that he is a committed independent video games developer. That is, his studio not only has “no relation to anyone”, but also “everyday”. deathbender the author rejects purchase offers from other companies.
“Some of these offers are ridiculously high prices,” Kojima said in the latest edition of Brain Structure, a podcast. Available through Spotify. (For the record, Kojima speaks Japanese, with an English overdub). “But not because I want money. I want to do what I want to do. That’s why I created this studio.”
Kojima hosts the podcast and was his guest this week. good friend Geoff Keighley, he’s the host of The Game Awards – well, it looks like Kojima is running the debate. (Disclosure: Kojima is a member of The Game Awards’ advisory board.)
However, Keighley quickly took the role of interviewer and asked Kojima about the latest developments in the gaming industry. “There’s been a lot of rumors about games, especially on social media, and I thought maybe we could talk about some of the rumors out there and some of the truth behind those rumors,” Keighley said. Said.
The two then got into a lengthy discussion about rumor culture, entertainment products, and social media. after talking this summer announcement Saying that Kojima is working on a game for Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios, Keighley brought up Kojima’s already close working relationship with PlayStation and Sony Interactive Entertainment (deathbender It was and still is exclusive to the PlayStation console) and whether it has committed to one console manufacturer or the other over the years.
“I think a lot of people have a misunderstanding about Kojima Productions,” he said. “I started this company after I left Konami in 2015. It’s 100% out of my pocket. No funding from anyone. So we’re independent.”
Kojima acknowledged that his studio’s real, physical proximity to both Sony’s worldwide headquarters (in Shibuya, Tokyo) and Sony Interactive Entertainment’s headquarters meant that “people tend to think we’re part of Sony.” But as the announcement about Microsoft this summer demonstrates, “we are independent. We are not affiliated with and endorsed by anyone. […] And every day I get offers to buy our studio from all over the world.
“Some of these offers are ridiculously high prices, but not because I wanted the money,” Kojima said. “I want to do what I want to do. That’s why I created this studio.”
In other words, for those of you waiting for Kojima Productions (and mascot Ludens) to be the last getting a big name inside a year with them, don’t hold your breath. “I don’t think I will accept these offers as long as I live,” said Kojima.
It’s assumed that Kojima’s stance stems from how the publisher ended up with Konami in 2015. threw it away and his ideas in favor making pachinko machines and Burning Pro Evolution Soccer to the ground.
But Kojima also speaks as an artist (35 years and growing in this medium) who understands creative capital and how much he earns.
