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Kojima and Shinkawa talk about Metal Gear with Game Informer

As part of their Metal Gear Sold V coverage, Game Informer conducted an interview with both Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa. First, Kojima talked about his intention of passing on the series to someone else, like what happened with the Alien movies.

Hideo-Kojima-Close-Up

“To be honest, I’ve actually wanted to do something similar just to change it. I don’t know if the Metal Gear brand sometimes is a bit heavy to carry. The franchise is difficult to handle.” Kojima said before that he didn’t want to be know as ‘the Metal Gear guy’. “But so far I’ve had no success [passing the torch]. Metal Gear Rising, fortunately that was a spin-off so that went well. Ideally I would like to step out from the Metal Gear franchise as a producer and dedicate myself to other games. So far that has proven to be a bit difficult. Aliens is a very successful example. Unfortunately, in our case, it’s more like The Terminator, that once Cameron steps out of it there was kind of a mess.”

Row of MGS Games

Kojima also talked a bit about Metal Gear Solid and the Japanese game industry.

“I try not to think like I’m a Japanese developer.” Kojima said. “Because, in Japan, Metal Gear only has so much success, in terms that people don’t like that much Metal Gear here. The kind of things you mention as carrying the torch and all that passion, that’s not something you hear often in Japan, so I try not to think of myself as doing that.”

Kojima’s vision on game development seems to be different from most Japanese creators.

“Just recently many of the Japanese developers are looking toward different directions from where I’m looking, so I’m not close to anyone. I haven’t really been close to anyone in Japanese game development. It’s kind of hard to talk about out dreams together because they’re different.”

A Japanese developer Kojima recently collaborated with for the production of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, is the action game oriented studio Platinum Games. “Honestly, within the Japanese game industry it would be Platinum Games, I’m close with them.” Kojima said. “I have good friends there. Other than that, I guess people that make indie games. Actually for these days, it’s easier for me to talk about my dreams with movie directors. I feel a little but more comfortable taking about my dreams and personal goals with them.” One of these directors is Guillermo del Toro, someone Kojima meets up with every now and then.

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The interview with Yoji Shinkawa was mainly about his work on Metal Gear Solid V, and how the process has changed since he began working on the series. “One thing that is different though is awhile back I used to create everything by myself, including the character art.” Shinkawa explained. “Compared to right now we are working as a concept art team. Everyone is working hand-in-hand together.”

Yoji-Shinkawa-Peace-Walker-Art

While his work for Metal Gear has always had anime and manga influences, but for MGSV, Shinkawa wants to make sure they aren’t there ‘on a conscious level’. “But then again, there will be some Japanese elements in there.” he added, since a large part of his team, and himself are Japanese. “Also, that’s not something I want to completely remove, because if there are no Japanese elements then what we create [loses its flavor].”

Shinkawa's-Work-Place

To read the full interviews, check Game informer’s Metal Gear Solid V cover story in their March 2014 issue.

Source: Game Informer March 2014 Issue

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