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Kojima: my role in this world is to keep on making big games for as long as I can

Speaking to Simon Parker of the New Yorker, Kojima talked about his new Kojima Productions studio and his plans for the future.

Kojima’s new studio currently only has four staff members: Kojima himself, Shinkawa, Imaizumi, and Terashima. There’s no office yet. Despite having to start anew, Kojima still remains passionate.

“Every time I create a game, I think it’s going to be the last time. In much the same way that a mother isn’t thinking about her next pregnancy during childbirth, I can’t think of the next game till the one I’m working on is out.”

Hideo-Kojima-December-2015

Recently Konami seems have shifted its focus towards cheaper mobile games as opposed to high budget titles, and Kojima’s idea of game development likely did not fit with the company’s new strategy (Kojima is contractually prohibited from talking about the split).

“If you’re only focussed on the profits immediately in front of you, the times will leave you behind. It becomes impossible to catch up again.”

Being independent will make taking risks easier for Kojima, since he does not have to invest a lot of time getting everything approved.

“When working in big companies, especially Japanese companies, every little thing has to be approved beforehand, and you need paperwork to do anything. Now that I’m independent, I can do what I want with much more speed. I don’t need to invest time in unnecessary presentations. I shoulder the risk.”

It also makes it easier for him to say what he wants to say.

“When I was in a company, my personal statements could be taken as the over-all direction of the company. As such, I couldn’t say just anything.”

After he left Konami, Kojima had plans to take a trip to a deserted island for a year, but a certain ‘Hollywood friend’ advised against it, saying he had to keep up the pace.

“Hearing that affirmed to me that my role in this world is to keep on making big games for as long as I can. That is the mission I’ve been given in life.”

Kojima-Productions-2016

Source: The New Yorker

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