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[n051de]

I love all the people saying that this shutting out PC and xbox player is a travesty or something.
Like if he went independent or with some studio like EA they would allow Kojima to spend millions for a new engine that would result in anything close to what his team made at Konami.

The engine is irrelevant at this point. UE4 is makes too much sense for anyone to develop their own engine which takes years to do. You really think that's the first thing Kojima would want to do after being apart of the FOX engine development since '08?

 

[Hoje0308]

What I mean is that Sony has been closing studios and reducing the number of employees in currently owned studios in the last 3 years.

That's all public knowledge.

Do Kojima games sell well enough without the MGS IP? That's a huge if in terms of outright buying a new studio.

A more conservative approach would be a partnership, which is what they've been focused on this generation for big console exclusives (FFVIIr, SFV, Shenmue 3)

It also mitigates risk.

They also have studios that are hiring, which is also public knowledge. But that fact will get ignored, since it doesn't fit the narrative you're interested in pushing. And if you're such a fan of the conservative approach, maybe you should stop jumping to conclusions because talking to someone doesn't mean you're going to buy the studio they haven't even set up yet.

 

[Zombie James]

Welp, here we go. Kick off 2016 with some major news.

 

[SomedayTheFire]

Wow, personal jabs. Kudos!

It's not a hard concept and people are saying it much better than I am in this thread. The guys set for life, he's a legend. He doesn't need to lock down to one platform forever because "money". He will have money no matter where he goes.

Uh if you're advising someone to not take a job because people on the Internet don't want them to, that's not really a personal jab saying you're bad at career advice.

Look at it this way, if you were a developer and Sony offered you $100k a year salary and to create a team for you or an independent team offered you $70k a year salary, which would you choose?

Low balling those numbers for ease of reading.

 

[Doc Holliday]

My bet he starts a studio in LA and not Japan.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Weird. This guy is saying it's a bad translation.

https://twitter.com/Abriael

 

[sajj316]

I'm just happy he's going to launch a new studio! SCE or independent.

 

[Sickboy007]

Awesome

 

[Reset]

Sony funded SFV, did that mean no PC port?

That's not the same at all. Street Fighter isn't Sony's IP. You think if Kojima joins a Sony studio and and develops a first party game, Sony will be ok putting it on PC too?
If so why isn't TLoU,Uncharted,Until Dawn,inFamous,etc. on PC yet.

 

[Xeteh]

I bet when Kojima left the Konami offices for the last time he skipped out like I did at the end of the school year each year as a kid.

 

[BadWolf]

This keeps getting better and better.

 

[vypek]

Yeah because the guys totally struggling/will struggle for money

/s

I don't know if I missed something since I jumped to the last page but even if someone has a lot of money and are well known in their industry, they typically take what is the best job offer for them. For a lot of people that is indicated by salary and benefits. He doesn't have to be hurting for money to want to take that. Struggling or not doesn't matter if Kojima is the type of employee who wants the best deal for himself. Of course, there could be a lot more that influences his decision on where to go like creative freedom but less money/benefits.

 

[Jinfash]

This move makes a lot of sense.

But I wonder, if he'll continue focusing on AAA projects. And if SCE is on board with that, I wonder if he's capable of a commercially successful AAA game/franchise without the Metal Gear IP.

Unless I'm mistaken, all his non-MG projects were met with mixed commercial results.

 

[hawk2025]

Wow, personal jabs. Kudos!

It's not a hard concept and people are saying it much better than I am in this thread. The guys set for life, he's a legend. He doesn't need to lock down to one platform forever because "money". He will have money no matter where he goes.

That's a ridiculous, condescending statementto make about someone else's life.

It's just plain wrong, too.

 

[Ishida]

I was just going to mock the people who believe Kojima to be a 100% lock for Sony. But this? Wow....

 

[Loris146]

Oh well

 

[delSai]

Kojima joining SCE would be pretty huge.

 

[ElTorro]

Sony is what Konamisn't

 

[shinobi602]

If it's a small or medium sized project, then I'd expect him to align with Sony. If it's a AAA, he's in Microsoft territory.

 

[Arion]

Sony will have to sell another building to make his new game. Not good.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

I'd prefer him at Square.

Square-Enix + Kojima... goddamn game would never be finished.

 

[Kodaman]

https://twitter.com/Abriael

 

[ViciousDS]

hahahaha

 

[SneakersSO]

Yes but those come with strings attached. He has historically blown out budgets and taken an incredibly long time to develop games. The likelihood that either publisher will give him full creative freedom and a new studio with this setup is really unlikely.

I think people are just getting too excited and not looking at the reality of the situation. He isn't good at running a development team. He struggles to hit budgets/timelines and feature creep is very prevalent. Besides Konami sucking, there are reasons they have had strained relations for years.

If he is given a new studio by one of the publishers they will have him on a really, really tight leash. Your best hope should be that he joins and takes some sort of creative adviser role.

His only chance of actually running his own studio with minimal interference is as an independent, but getting funding would be difficult because of the reasons I laid out.

While I do agree with a lot of your criticisms of Kojima, I'd say these negative behaviors only started after he formed Kojima Productions, and was put on the board of directors at Konami. Once that happened, I feel Kojima started faltering between the pressure of having to create a game that would bring back a big enough return for Konami to offset the bombs it was experiencing with its other teams (NeverDead & several Castlevania titles all flopped during last-gen).

When Kojima was just focusing on creating a game, whether it was Boktai, ZOE, or MGS 1-3, I feel like he handily delivered both within reasonable timeframes & budgets. Him becoming the creative head of his own studio, focusing on their IP, would be a reduction of pressure that I think would benefit Kojima and his projects greatly. That, and not having to focus on creating a new engine for their game (theres no way they go into prototyping on something that isn't UE4) will ensure their development time & budget should be reasonable.

 

[Neuromancer]

Why wouldn't they wait until the deal is actually set in stone?

I assume it was leaked. Generally leaks happen before official announcements.

 

[Rymuth]

yesus...

We'll need a mining company for all the salt...

 

[Y2Kev]

Maybe kojima can work on ape escape??? Or maybe he can go make jumping slash 3? What other decrepit Sony ip can he wor....OMG RESISTANCE 4 for vita

 

[googly]

This is the best news I've heard today! Sony should be a great place for him.

There's zero chance he's doing a new Syphon Filter, I don't know why people would even want that anyway. I think he's waited a very long time to get the chance to do something completely new.

 

[kavanf1]

I would agree if it was someone else but Kojima's fanbase is mosly PlayStation fans so i don't think that will change things much.

That's the platform he spent most of his career working with, but I disagree that his fanbase is limited to PS fans. If this were true there would have been comparatively little interest in MGSV on PC or X1, and that was not the case.

 

[KurtSloane]

Independent non exclusive studios get games published/funded all the time. Anybody would fund his game...

If he's locked down to Sony forever it's literally the dumbest move he could make. Why would you leave out PC/Xbox fans (especially PC)?

Because the majority of his work has sold on PlayStation, he has a long established relationship with the brand and its user base.

Also Sony are known to give game makers money and time to do their own thing better than most, its a perfect marriage.


Also as a world wide brand PlayStation makes sense, a regional outfit like Xbox that has no Japanese presence would make no sense.

 

[SarusGray]

who to believe hmmm

 

[Acquiescence]

Wow. I remember when we were kidding around about this months ago. It's actually happening.

 

[Quintin DM]

Oh shit if this is true (which is probably is) that would be fucking awesome.

 

[Nirolak]

Weird. This guy is saying it's a bad translation.

https://twitter.com/Abriael

Yeah I'm trying to find someone who speaks Japanese to give a word for word translation.

Abriael does to my knowledge (he runs DualShockers unless I'm forgetting something), but I'm trying to check with a couple of our resident Japanese speaking mods as well, but they're all away at the moment.

 

[Bsigg12]

I don't know who to believe.

 

[Citizen_Insane]

I'm sure this is still a rumor, but this would be the best thing. It needs to happen.

 

[Man-is-Obsolete]

Yes but those come with strings attached. He has historically blown out budgets and taken an incredibly long time to develop games. The likelihood that either publisher will give him full creative freedom and a new studio with this setup is really unlikely.

I think people are just getting too excited and not looking at the reality of the situation. He isn't good at running a development team. He struggles to hit budgets/timelines and feature creep is very prevalent. Besides Konami sucking, there are reasons they have had strained relations for years.

If he is given a new studio by one of the publishers they will have him on a really, really tight leash. Your best hope should be that he joins and takes some sort of creative adviser role.

His only chance of actually running his own studio with minimal interference is as an independent, but getting funding would be difficult because of the reasons I laid out.

Well my original point stands. No other publisher gives more creative freedom than Sony. Some could actually criticize Sony gives too much rope and subsequently developers hang themselves. I can't think of any other publisher that takes as many risks as Sony.

 

[ViolentP]

You can come to my videogame awards, Koji.

 

[Myggen]

I was just going to mock the people who believe Kojima to be a 100% lock for Sony. But this? Wow....

Really annoying to see this article being mistranslated as Kojima joining Sony or forming a studio under Sony's umbrella or whatever.

The article flat out says that he is forming a new company with people he worked with from his Konami days. It also says that the all new game he will be working on will likely be released for Sony's PlayStation and that they are in final negotiations to have the game release *first* (but not exclusive) on Sony's platform.

Final negotiations for the game to debut on PlayStation... that's all the article says.

.

 

[tusken77]

Beautiful.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Put aside those 30 years, and let the LEGEND come back to life!

 

[Chobel]

Who the hell are Junker HQ?

 

[Mass_Pincup]

Who to believe?

 

[Sotha_Sil]

Well, that's disappointing (that he would become an exclusive developer).

Edit - for clarity given the last couple posts that I hadn't seen before.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Damn, we need a gaffer who is fluent in Japanese and English. Anyone?

 

[SarusGray]

Yeah I'm trying to find someone who speaks Japanese to give a word for word translation.

Abriael does to my knowledge (he runs DualShockers unless I'm forgetting something), but I'm trying to check with a couple of our resident mods as well.

thanks Nirolak. Let's get some real info now.

 

[Bunta]

Hmmmmmmm

 

[Josh5890]

So now it has come full circle. Welcome home Kojima!

 

[Catdaddy]

MGS 6 : Solid Knack

 

[Zombie James]

So this person is saying there are no talks taking place, the other person is saying final negotiations... Japanese is a complex language, eh?