Hideo Kojima reiterates multi-game transmedia focus

Hideo Kojima wants to stay busy in between big game releases, and plans to create smaller-scale projects to fill the void.

Kojima games typically take a long time to make. Metal Gear Solid V took about 5 years to make, and Death Stranding was in dev for roughly 4 years. That's a long time not to release anything, especially for an indie studio. Kojima wants to change that and plans to focus on shorter episodic experiences in between huge AAA titles. But what exactly will Kojma Productions work on?

Speaking to Famitsu, Kojima says he's open to creating all sorts of things--even manga and anime. This isn't the first time Kojima has talked about transmedia content. A bit ago he said KojiPro would make smaller films, possibly kicking off a whole new era of interactive film-game hybrids for Sony's new PlayStation Productions label.

"In the future, Kojima Productions will start making films. If you can do one thing well, then you can do everything well," Kojima told the BBC in November 2019.

"I don't want to stop making games. But I want to create something like a short film or movie in-between. But I'm kind of working on the next project, so it's really difficult to focus on other mediums, but of course I really am interested."

Kojima also wants to make a new kind of terrifying horror game, and rumor has it Sony is developing a new horror IP for the PlayStation 5. Coincidence? Probably not.

The Metal Gear Solid creator continues on with some lofty ambitions. Not only does Kojima want KojiPro to work on films, but he wants to release smaller episodic games in the lull between titanic projects like Death Stranding. This is a tall order for any game developer, let alone an independent one. But it's great to have strange ideas (as Death Stranding's strong sales prove).

I'm expecting all of these ideas to tie together somehow and create an interesting new medium. Remember, Kojima has often said film and games will merge together using streaming as an avenue. So don't be surprised if these episodic "games" are Bandersnatch-style choose-your-own-adventure experiences.