Hideo Kojima Announces a "Radical" New Project

Hideo Kojima Writes: "This year, I'm going to start a new work in earnest, and move to the next level of experimentation with a radical project. I'm also hoping to get the video team going. And I may start doing something like a radio project?"

[RaidenBlack]

"So what's you New Year's Resolution?"
Kojima : Ahem ... so my resolution involves cool words like "radical" & "experimentation" ....
Riiiiight ....

[Orbilator]

Yeah Im not sure why you slating him for that at least it's not "same and safe" as most big developers go.

[RaidenBlack]

I am not criticizing his statement (dear God) ... instead the opposite, I found his tweet pretty cool and tried to make something funny out of it.

[VenomUK]

Experimenting with cloud or xCloud technology?

[DogJosha]

@VenomUK Oh god I hope not. Buying a $2k computer is much cheaper than buying a house based on country, server location, ISPs, and technology employed in the area, not to mention cost of the internet so that they don't throttle you and the cost of wiring your house with ethernet for every room you want to be able to play in.

[frostypants]

He does have the resume to back it up.

[Magog]

My money is on a PSVR 2 exclusive. Can you imagine what a Kojima VR game might be like? 😱

[Orchard]

Hopefully not. VR is kinda lame. And Kojima games are too great to be locked down to such a small/niche market.

I also don't see it happening to be honest - Kojima isn't cheap - Sony would really need to sell it to > the number of people who have PSVR/intend on buying the follow up to recoup the costs of Kojima + exclusivity.

[Magog]

Some creatives care less about making huge piles of money and more about making something interesting. Especially at the beginning and twilight of their careers. VR is the future.

[HICK]

Which VR games have you played?

[siLENTEsKI]

If Kojima makes a VR-exclusive, I’ll buy a VR system.

[Chevalier]

Thought you were game developer? Guess you make vanilla garbage if you can't think of any amazing VR games to play. Calling possible innovation lame is so lame

[thorstein]

"niche market" When will you guys move on from this claim? VR in general is growing and continues to do so with AAA games out regularly. It's been 6 years since modern VR launched in earnest. Give your unsubstantiated claims a rest. It doesn't make you sound like you know what you are talking about.

[specialguest]

I'm one of the early supporters of VR and I've been disappointed with the progress of VR games. Yes a majority of VR games are lame. There's so much VR could to explore new ways and concepts to experience gaming, but it seems as if the last 2-3 years we just get a bunch of gallery shooters or clone of a popular games. During the early years we had innovative and fresh games like Superhot shot, Job Simulator, Rec Room, Tilt Brush, and Beat Saber. These are some examples of experiences that can only be fully enjoyable in VR. Later down the line there were some gems that came along like HL Alyxx and a few other games, but everything else as of the last 2 years stayed stagnant

[CaptainHenry916]

I'm having a blast with Oculus Quest but that's me

[S2Killinit]

Im most looking forward to what VR can do with the new consoles. Specifically PSVR2

[F0XH0UND922]

My gosh, you're such a buzzkill in every comment section lol

[Orchard]

@Magog So why hasn't he released a full PSVR game? PSVR launched in 2016, Death Stranding came out in 2019, why was it not a VR game? Kojima is running a business, as are Sony, and frankly, both are making a lot of money doing so. Locking a game to < 5% of your userbase makes no sense. Heck, Sony's own first party big hitters don't even support PSVR.

@Hick Lots, the best was HL Alyx, but really, I would've preferred if it was just a normal (non-VR) game (and I know there are mods now, there weren't back then), but given how little we get out of Valve nowadays, and my love for HL, I borrowed a kit to play through it. The only other notable game that comes to mind is RE7.

@Chevalier I am, since when did being a developer mean you have to love VR?

"Guess you make vanilla garbage"
From your past comments, you've played and liked games I worked on :) so I wouldn't say garbage, and 99% of developers work on non-VR games, and 99% of games released each year are non-VR games. So are you saying almost every developer is working on, and almost every game released is garbage? So Returnal, Psychonauts, Ratchet, Death Stranding, Halo, Forza, Gran Turismo etc are all garbage? I'd have to disagree with you on that.

@thorstein It is niche, with over 100m PS4 units out there, PSVR sold ~5m. That is niche. Nothing unsubstantiated about it, the lackluster sell through rate on the most popular gaming console of the generation substantiates it.

"continues to do so with AAA games out regularly."

Really? The vast majority of AAA big hitters that came out this year didn't support VR.

@F0XH0UND922 No one is forcing you to read my comments :P

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Personally I don't care for VR at the moment, I've rarely be impressed by any VR games thus far, but maybe Kojima can make something that's actually impressive for it.

[Chevalier]

Got some reading comprehension issues do you? Where anywhere did I say those games are bad? My point was you may not like it, but, to call a whole section of games lame because it doesn't happen to be what you prefer or like is absolutely idiotic. I don't like Sports games for example, but, its a huge part of the market and lots of people like them so calling something lame because I see no value in them personally would be dumb no? Also could care less for Fortnite, but, its a sector of growth that exploded onto the seen.

Also when are new things not niche? Were 3D graphics amazing the second they launched? Nope. Imagine if no one saw the potential and kept working on that 3D graphics?! Where would we be right now?! Want to go back and compare early blocky 3D fighters on the PS1 to what we got now? It's not even close how it's grown. Gaming used to be 'niche' fyi. So like anything that's niche it has to be nurtured to grow the medium. Definitely can tell you're a close minded individual based on all your buzz kill comments. It's really sad that a so called 'developer' could be close minded to growing new elements in gaming.

[Orchard]

@Chevalier You referred to non-VR games as 'vanilla garbage'. I'd consider garbage bad.

Can't even begin to throw VR in the same bucket as sports games and Fortnite. The former has very low adoption rates, the latter two are extremely successful.

As a developer I want to work on things that as many people can experience as possible, not something a few niche folk can. That's not closed mindedness, it's wanting to create good, popular products and have a good career.

[Chevalier]

Dude your excluding someone else's work not yours. That's absolutely 💯 idiotic! Just because YOU don't see it as a necessity to growth in the gaming space doesn't make it less valid. You like 100% vanilla experience is fine, but, calling possible innovation lame? Yeah that you being dumb.

Don't care if you want to work on 'popular' stuff. Innovation isn't going to be appreciated for the little it does now its about building a foundation. You work in f'n games and should know better! Did your 3D gaming tools come put of nowhere? Again no compare what was available back to the PS1 till current 3D graphics, it took generations of work to get where we are now. Plenty of stuff that was 'niche' changed over time.

Again GAMING was niche. It took persistence and continued work to grow the industry you work in to get to now. VR is no different. Everyone complains about poor experiences in VR and how do you think we'll get to better experiences? Work plain and simple. Someone has to build up the foundation. If someone like Kojima wants to continue to innovate and do something different whether is VR or not is unrelated to you.

[Orchard]

@Chevalier Plenty of game industry folk dislike VR, just because you're in an industry doesn't mean you have to love everything about it.

3D graphics isn't the same as VR, it didn't change how we consumed games, nor the social aspects of gaming.

Anyway, my opinion on VR as a gamer is that I don't find it comfortable, both physically nor socially, it's too isolated while normal gaming can be done in a social environment with family & friends around etc.

As a developer, I think the market is too small and niche. There's a reason why you don't see Sony 1st party AAA games on PSVR, and why Kojima hasn't released a PSVR game or even a mode for DS. There's countless other examples too.

[Chevalier]

"Can't even begin to throw VR in the same bucket as sports games and Fortnite. The former has very low adoption rates, the latter two are extremely successful."

Again GAMING was niche back in the day till now. Can you imagine if Nintendo abandoned such a 'niche' product instead of helping to set a foundation? Same with Atari, Coleco? Because last I checked the beginning of games was and is extremely niche. Imagine if no one continued to build the foundation?! You think you would have a career in game development right now? Doubtful.

"As a developer I want to work on things that as many people can experience as possible, not something a few niche folk can. That's not closed mindedness, it's wanting to create good, popular products and have a good career."

It 100% is close mindedness. Would you say if one of the games you worked on sold only 500,000 copies vs the one that 10 million you should be LESS proud of your work? Cause that would absolutely be idiotic. So stop this its 'niche' its not important argument its absolutely idiotic. Or are you telling me only AAA games that sell say 10+ million are worth talking about?!

'Good product' to you means 'good sales'? So let's say your game outsold Castlevania Symphony of the Nights does it make it 'better'?! NOPE I would 100% say Symphony of the Nights selling less will likely be better than anything you do in your career because it's a foundational piece that changed gaming.

By your dumb logic your 'good work' is measured by sales. Plenty of the best ever made games didn't sell amazing. So say Psychonauts 2 or Returnal only sold a million copies by your dumb logic such 'niche' products aren't worth the time? Weird last I checked both those games were listed as GOTY for 2021.

[Chevalier]

"Anyway, my opinion on VR as a gamer is that I don't find it comfortable, both physically nor socially, it's too isolated while normal gaming can be done in a social environment with family & friends around etc."

Yeah and they're also more immersive than those other games. My opinion of your opinion is that your close minded and its absolutely idiotic to be that way. That's like saying that you should be proud of your work if it sold so little its niche when your work was just as good, but, your previous project sold 10 million more.

A great game is great regardless of sales. Lots of games that were up for GOTY sold 'niche' amounts like Returnal, Psychonauts 2 and even Deathloop didn't particularly sell well either. Being niche didn't change their greatness.

Sports games for example which you say are 'successful' now didn't start that way. It's like comparing the game sales of a Soccer game to the one on the NES. But here's the thing without the people making those 'niche' games then there wouldn't be those sales now would there?!

Oh right you want to talk about careers and your work then yeah sorry Kojima made and genre of games, has multiple Guinness book records and influenced whole generations of gamers since. So what exactly are you to compare to his work? If you want to talk about 'niche' then how about the original Metal Gear game he made on NES? If he hadn't done that you think MGS would be a thing? Probably not.

[thorstein]

It's quite clear you are just here to troll. You argue with anyone that has an opinion that doesn't match yours. Good for you. You aren't right just because you write down what you believe to be the truth. Quite the opposite, it just reveals how small the world appears to you.

[annoyedgamer]

Nobody is going to limit the already small VR audience by making exclusive to a certain platform.

[Magog]

There are a lot of VR exclusives. Most of the best VR games are exclusive to either Oculus, PSVR, or Steam VR.

[annoyedgamer]

Let me rephrase that. Kojima is not going to make a PSVR exclusive game. Not at this point in the industry. Of he does do VR it will be on SteamVR. And anything SteamVR can be played with any headset.

[thorstein]

Honestly yes. I imagine Death Stranding VR. Man that would be great.

[bunt-custardly]

Luke Ross is already working on a Death Stranding VR mod.

[bouzebbal]

No I don't..
I like the guy for MGS.. Everything else he did was lackluster, except Castlevania. I haven't played his list game, can't judge that one

[pietro1212]

He never worked on a Castlevaina tilte. Everything he has put out has been great even his games outside of MGS like Death Stranding and Zone of the Enders 2.

[Angyobangyo]

Why would he limit his next big project to a niche platform like vr and deny a mass player base his next big project? While a vr Kojima game will be cool, I don’t think it makes sense if the vr adoption rate is still mediocre at best. Imagine needing to buy psvr2 which scalpers will scoop up just to play a Kojima game.

[Orchard]

I still think there is weight to his 'Xbox cloud game' rumors. With the rumored scope, that would be 'radical'. More radical than DS2 (which I'm sure he's also working on).

[ColtPSSX]

Honestly I feel like every gen there is a rumor Kojima Xbox game. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was actually a multi platform game.

[RaidenBlack]

Maybe both rumor is true this time?
That his studio is indeed working on two separate projects. One for Xbox+PC & the other for PS+(PC? like DS).
Recall his studio was actually working on both Peace Walker and MGS:Rising simultaneously in 2009?
Afterwards MGRising was cancelled and PlatinumGames turned it into their MG:Rising Revengeance.

[DarthZoolu]

No one talks about this but I know Japanese people prefer to work with Japanese people. Kojima will always go Sony first.

[TheDoomedGuy]

I was never a huge fan of hideo Kojima. But I gotta say there is absolutely no game like death stranding. Enjoyed being a package delivery guy that also carries cool ass weapons and grenades.

Whatever he does next I sure as hell will try out.

[Elda]

Agreed.

[Syphos]

I am not necessarily a FAN but I loved MGS and don't think Death Stranding deserved so much hate, trying innovative concepts for games is somehow frowned upon, better stick to the trends and FPS/TPS mechanics because what if by chance we get something really interesting that's not the usual stuff games tend to do :/

So I really think it's refreshing to read a comment like yours, I am all for trying new stuff and love that he tries to be creative instead of just focusing on making a quick buck, if it doesn't leave something with the player if you finish a game it's not worth making tbh.

[Gardenia]

For me it's the other way around. Big fan of the MGS series but Death Stranding didn't do it for me. I can still remember the time I bought MGS1 for the PS1. A true masterpiece still to this day.

Honestly I don't think Kojima can top the glory days of MGS anymore, except maybe if he will be making another MGS game some day if Sony can get it from Konami. You never know.

[TheDoomedGuy]

Well it does have some mgs flair but it's a different game so I'm glad he's not a one trick pony.

I agree it's not the super stealth action mgs game but it's its own thing

[ANIALATOR136]

I'm with you there

[mastershredder]

Oh wait, you mean his staff are working on some ideas and designs he’s going to take credit for? There has never been anything one-man about HK’s work. Whatever he’s working on, F that guy and his studio. May his crew find properly due credit, fortune and success through their own path away from that ego-bloated ass (unfortunately most staff are like his fan base and have a thing for groveling) The Morrissey of game developers strikes again and his loyal fanbase so willing to shove their noses right up his said ego. Barf.

[IanTH]

Throughout his career, he has made many unique games. I think there's perhaps a notion that on games he's a producer on, and not director, he doesn't have as much involvement. For example, in Boktai - a GBA game with a photovoltaic sensor in it to charge attacks with the power of the sun - he's not the director. But reading an interview, you can tell that this is definitely his game:

http://shmuplations.com/bok...

And in that, he also talks more about the game ideas he's had that never came to pass because they were too risky. He's come up with mechanics that became common for genres, he's put more effort into the presentation of games' stories (sometimes *way* too much lol), and this has been true over the course of 35 years of game development. It seems unlikely he's managed to be attached to unique things where he was in a position to steal from other people over the breadth of releases & different development teams throughout his entire career.

I think slapping his name on some things is a little ostentatious, but it is also a financially smart thing to do - his name brings sales, plain and simple. I don't think you'd ever catch him saying he created all his games entirely by himself. It's just kind of how the system works - you go watch a James Cameron movie, not a movie featuring Brian Smith (key grip) & the 500 other people who allow movies to get made. And we've seen guys like Miamoto go from visionary to "what the hell happened" with age, but it doesn't seem like that's happened to Kojima.

I'm not a massive Kojima fan or anything, haven't even played Death Stranding yet, but it feels like you're being overly harsh here. Perhaps I'm just out of the loop, though. What is it that makes you say he primarily steals credit from other people?

[pietro1212]

What are you going on about? It's never been implied that Kojima games are "just this one man show" dude is pretty known for how he praises his team.

[quenomamen]

Sorry Kojima son, round here we only want CODs and Assassin's Creeds every year. We no like em innovators.

[SIdepocket]

Great…more weird. Just what we need.

[Welshy]

I'd say that it is what we need. I'll take unique experiences with genuine passion behind them over Assassins Creed 48: The Next One any day.

What is "weird" is subjective. I bet Metal Gear in the 80's was considered weird at the time because you were avoiding enemies and not attacking them and look how that panned put.

[pietro1212]

You say that like it's a bad thing. Bring on the weirdness also, what makes his stuff "weird" compared to other science fiction?

[Outlawzz]

Wt was death stranding ? Lol was that a normal game in his mind.

[pietro1212]

I love to see his take on a horror game. PT was such a tease and I would love to see what he could do.

[thornintheside]

Great, 5 years of teasers & eastereggs, incomming

[Moquiao]

I think Kojima has been focusing too much on being "radical" and "innovative" these last few years instead of focusing on story and enjoyable gameplay.

Just my opinion.

[pietro1212]

Focus on story? Did you not play Death Stranding? Gameplay on the other hand I can see where your coming from. I personally loved DS, but I have the hardest time recommending it because of its gameplay loop.

[Donjune]

Hopefully something better than his last "great" game.

[Ninver]

Radio project? Could he be trolling us with a metal gear solid radio comms reference?

[XXXL]

Kojima teaming with Nintendo to create the ultimate cardboard box Labo for interactive gaming

[OG_TK_Cole]

lets see what he has in mind

[seanhorton]

Hope for something new with the great one!

[Magog]

Love it or hate it he is always coming up with something fresh. How many indie horror games did that PT teaser spawn? 100 or more?

[Abear21]

More radical than a walking sim full of fetch quests? Maybe it’s a sleeping sim where you turn it on and pass out

[Soulrakk]

This could be the "Xbox exclusive" rumored for a while now based on cloud tech. Very curious either way.

[DafunkyRebel]

So this pretty much confirms that he wasn't working on Silent Hill remake or sequel as the rumors would have it.