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[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

After reading and contemplating about that gemastru article regarding Kojima's statements, I can't help but feel as if his days are numbered already.

As good as Death Stranding was, it didn't capture the zeitgest the way his previous titles did, and this could impact his ability as an auteur to make the games that he would love to make, rather than secure a project with a guaranteed profit margin.

After what happened to the global economy, developers like Kojima will become less appealing to both publishers and the average gamer who would want to spend their $60 on a game that would guarantee a "fun time" rather than experiences a singular visionary work of art, so to speak.

I'm glad he's working on a new project, but I'm afraid this could be his last title in this decade before he either decides to retire or loses financial support from publishers.

What do you think, GAF?

 

[kretos]

 

[kingpotato]

I saw headlines that it made it's money back. Isn't that enough reason for him to have another shot at something original? That's usually enough for publishers to invest in sequels most of the time. I think his prestige also plays a role. I don't think he's finished. Death Stranding wasn't a flop.

 

[kretos]

I read on era some insider (don't remember the name) that the project was going to be bigger for PS5 but budget was getting out of hand, and other Sony devs weren't happy with the budget and special treatment Kojima was getting

also the game was going to be darker but Sony didn't like that which i find strange because we hear a lot about Sony giving devs all the freedom they need

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

When DS releases on PC, if it sells like hotcakes, could that sway things back in his favor?

 

[fallingdove]

After reading and contemplating about that gemastru article regarding Kojima's statements, I can't help but feel as if his days are numbered already.

As good as Death Stranding was, it didn't capture the zeitgest the way his previous titles did, and this could impact his ability as an auteur to make the games that he would love to make, rather than secure a project with a guaranteed profit margin.

After what happened to the global economy, developers like Kojima will become less appealing to both publishers and the average gamer who would want to spend their $60 on a game that would guarantee a "fun time" rather than experiences a singular visionary work of art, so to speak.

I'm glad he's working on a new project, but I'm afraid this could be his last title in this decade before he either decides to retire or loses financial support from publishers.

What do you think, GAF?

Haven’t game sales spiked during covid-19? I could have sworn I saw something that PSN game sales had been a big contributor to Sony’s latest earnings report.

Even if sales haven’t increased through the pandemic, Sony is launching a new console. Taking another chance on a Kojima game to showcase it as part of the PS5 line up is definitely something I could see Sony doing.

 

[Birdo]

To be honest, I'd prefer a smaller-budget game from Kojima. Let him be as wild as possible.

Creative people often flourish when given limitations.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

To be honest, I'd prefer a smaller-budget game from Kojima. Let him be as wild as possible.

Creative people often flourish when given limitations.

I remember him saying that Inside was his favourite game of the 2010's. He's also made games like Snatcher and PoliceNauts which could be seen as small-scale games in today's time.

So yeah, he could definitely dip his feet into the world of indie games again if he sees the doors of AAA gaming closing on him.

Haven’t game sales spiked during covid-19? I could have sworn I saw something that PSN game sales had been a big contributor to Sony’s latest earnings report.

Even if sales haven’t increased through the pandemic, Sony is launching a new console. Taking another chance on a Kojima game to showcase it as part of the PS5 line up is definitely something I could see Sony doing.

I'm hoping this is the case, but coVid-19 really threw a curve ball for all industries except the vaccine/healthcare industry.

Lets hope they bought Kojima Productions so that I and his fans don't have to worry any longer

When DS releases on PC, if it sells like hotcakes, could that sway things back in his favor?

I really hope so, but will PC gamers like DS? It's a hard game to sell, but I hope the modders give it some extra legs or two!

 

[entremet]

Doesn't he have a multiple game contract? His game made money too. What's the concern?

 

[zeorhymer]

You mean Sony won't approve his unlimited money request? *gasp*

 

[#Phonepunk#]

iirc he did a lot of team & studio building during the creation of Death Stranding. so already a great deal of setup work that had to take place last time has already been accomplished. now, he has an experienced team, and a pre-established process for making games.

that said i wouldn't mind a lower budget game from him. DS had an insane level of polish and sheen to it that looked like the 100 million bucks it cost. if he was working with a lower budget, the game would still probably look amazing, he would still spend hours every day rethinking every texture for months on end. even a low budget Kojima game could still be incredible.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

Doesn't he have a multiple game contract? His game made money too. What's the concern?

I think he was just given one game to make which was DS.

Speaking of which, kretos , that ree member was talking about DS from what I recall.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

iirc he did a lot of team & studio building during the creation of Death Stranding. so already a great deal of setup work that had to take place last time has already been accomplished.

that said i wouldn't mind a lower budget game from him. DS had an insane level of polish and sheen to it that looked like the 100 million bucks it cost. if he was working with a lower budget, the game would still probably look amazing, he would still spend hours every day rethinking every texture for months on end. i would love to see what he can accomplish next.

It would be a real shame if Sony didn't acquire Kojima Productions and added them to their worldwide studios.

 

[Tarkus98]

He will be fine. Dude knows his shit and knows his audience.
He is also in that rare space where gamers, even many casuals associate his name with his games and not the company publishing it.
Yet through it all he still takes chances and isn’t afraid to try something new and for the most part his fan base loves him for it.
Don’t worry, he is/will continue to do fine.
DS was his first non Metal Gear game in a while done under his own company it could easily have crashed and burned but he had a vision and stuck to it and I believe it turned out great for him and us gamers. Loved the game myself.

 

[Keihart]

If platinum can make a dream project now and then, i think Kojima Productions can manage. Their games are way less niche than the white ore that Platinum makes.

 

[Oddspeak]

He said Death Stranding recouped costs, so I don't think there's any reason to worry as of now.

However, I would like to see Kojima scale it back for his next game; keep it around 10-12 hours in length, but also focus on replayability.

 

[Azelover]

I'm confident he can make a great pitch.

And although quite tragic, I don't think the financial situation will endure THAT long.

He will be fine.. most likely.

 

[kretos]

I think he was just given one game to make which was DS.

Speaking of which, kretos , that ree member was talking about DS from what I recall.

yeah

he also leaked that Japan studio is making Silent Hill, and also said that Sony wanted to fund another Silent Hill game with Kojima but it didn't work out, maybe that's the project that Kojima is talking about which is a shame if true

at this point i doubt we'll see another big budget blockbuster from Kojima, or maybe if Epic made an offer

 

[Arachnid]

I think Kojima still has a long and fruitful career ahead of him, personally. The dude is one of, if not the most revered individual game developer in the world. Very rarely, do gamers actually take note of a developers name the way they do with him. Devs are mostly just thought of as a group (Ubisoft Toronto, Guerrilla Games, etc...). Kojima also has plenty of diehards like myself who will buy anything he puts out day 1. He consistently puts out quality work with intricate gameplay, and people notice that.

IMO his name is just too big to fail at this point.

 

[DonJorginho]

I think he's gonna return with the greatest work of his entire career, box an artist in and they unleash their full creative powers.

 

[hououinkyouma00]

I don't think there's any worry really. Death Stranding was profitable it would appear, and from what I can tell for a good amount of people this hasn't changed any spending habits.

I have a friend that works at Best Buy, and one at Microcenter and they both said they've actually had ridiculous sales of everything. Going to Microcenter right now is like going when the bitcoin madness started, lots of stuff is just gone. I don't see people not buying games anymore.

Also he's a fucking legend at this point, and basically everybody knows his name.

 

[MiyazakiHatesKojima]

I think he's gonna return with the greatest work of his entire career, box an artist in and they unleash their full creative powers.

WE ON THAT ULTRALIGHT BEAM!

 

[CobraXT]

Honestly .. i don't think Sony will fund another AAA game for him

 

[ExpandKong]

Eh, unless we ever find out what this cancelled project was, we can’t say for sure. Maybe it was a licensed property that fell through for legal reasons?

The fact is Death Stranding turned a profit, so his ability to make a game that sells isn’t in question here. The next game he actually puts out will probably be the make or break point.

It would be a real shame if Sony didn't acquire Kojima Productions and added them to their worldwide studios.

I disagree here. The more platforms the better.

If platinum can make a dream project now and then, i think Kojima Productions can manage. Their games are way less niche than the white ore that Platinum makes.

You gotta figure that Platinum’s games are much cheaper to make though. Platinum isn’t gonna get a Death Stranding budget for Bayonetta 3

He said Death Stranding recouped costs, so I don't think there's any reason to worry as of now.

However, I would like to see Kojima scale it back for his next game; keep it around 10-12 hours in length, but also focus on replayability.

Agreed. I’ve always felt that Kojima’s games started to get a little less amazing as his handlers at Konami started loosening his leash. No more blank checks

I think he's gonna return with the greatest work of his entire career, box an artist in and they unleash their full creative powers.

Yeah, while Death Stranding has ended up being profitable I feel like the mixed reception (plus this latest cancellation) might have shaken him up a bit. MGS 2 and 3 (aka the best MGS games) straddled the line between mass appeal and artistic expression, there’s nothing wrong with shooting for that middle ground

 

[Keihart]

Honestly .. i don't think Sony will fund another AAA game for him

Triple A games for sony are very different than other publishers in budget, they get really low budgets in comparison to how polished they are. Might be because of all this inter studio cooperation they have going on and the classic lackluster marketing.

 

[GamerEDM]

i really hope the recent rumors are true that sony will aquire rights to konami ip's MGS, Castlevania , & Silent hill. I think kojima should be forced to make these games by sony.

 

[Aion002]

I hope not.

I think that unique games will always have a market and Sony loves that, maybe he might be forced to decrease the budget. After all, those famous actors are cool, but not really necessary and probably expensive.

Let's hope that next week Sony will show a new game from Kojima and, hopefuly, even crazier than DS.... Just got to Chapter 12 of it, it's amazing! I will probably finish tomorrow and start working towards the platinum!

Everything he did so far was amazing, so surely he must have some leverage to keep being wild.... DS even won many GOTY's awards.

Not that many creators can claim such thing. He also has a cult status and would probably be able to crowdfund stuff if things don't work out.

 

[Tarkus98]

i really hope the recent rumors are true that sony will aquire rights to konami ip's MGS, Castlevania , & Silent hill. I think kojima should be forced to make these games by sony.

He can run but he can’t hide. Lol, oh shit could you imagine his past recapturing him like that.
Anyway, excellent post, thanks for laughs.

 

[REE Machine]

Kojima and George Lucas have a lot in common in the sense that they need a good writer to keep them in check and cant be by yes men. They need to be leashed because in all honesty when they arent or dont have a good direction due to someone else....their products suck. Kojimas last good metal gear game and I would even say last good game was mgs3, where someone else actually wrote it.

 

[ACESHIGH]

My favourite Kojima games were Snatcher and Policenauts which I just discovered 2 months ago so he could really use a smaller scope on his next game. And hopefully it's also released on PC. I plan to get DS on PC. I think that if the port is great it could sell quite a lot.

 

[Bakkus]

Didn't Kojima get full creative control of his projects around MGS4?

 

[IamOnline4Real]

Kojima sucks, his glory days are over.

 

[-YFC-]

Nah, Sony has deep pockets.
But even if Kojima doesn't have the money, he doesn't have to make 3A blockbusters, I'd be fine with an indie game from him. That would be very interesting.

 

[Gravemind]

Death Stranding didnt "capture the zeitgeist the way his previous games did" because it wasnt a very good "game" in the traditional sense. It just wasnt that much fun to be honest. There are a lot of people that enjoyed the experience of Death Stranding, but for the general masses it wasnt at all what people would be willing to spend $60-$80 on for an advertised AAA game.

If Kojima's name wasnt attached to the project, I honestly believe it would have never even gotten green lit. In my personal opinion it would be a smart idea for Sony to not give him 100% artistic liberty to produce any game he wants for his next project. He's a great game dev, but DS proved that he needs to be reigned in a bit.

If he wants to go make artsy indie games, thats fine, it will work with a smaller budget. But a AAA game? I just dont think the interest in these kind of games justifies the amount of time and money it takes to produce them.

 

[Hostile_18]

Honestly I think some visionaries work better when been kept in line (Similar to the David Lynch - Mark Frost relationship).

If Kojima got his way.... I dont know I just get the feeling he'd make a game about what ever random thing popped into his head. At least if he works with a known IP such as Silent Hill or Metal Gear the established parameters (while flexible) keep him from not losing sight that's it's a game and should be enjoyable first and foremost.

 

[GrayChild]

As long as Hidetaka Miyazaki has unlimited budgets and huge team to help him achieve his vision, I don't care about what Kojima will do next.

 

[hariseldon]

I saw headlines that it made it's money back. Isn't that enough reason for him to have another shot at something original? That's usually enough for publishers to invest in sequels most of the time. I think his prestige also plays a role. I don't think he's finished. Death Stranding wasn't a flop.

Wait til it’s on Steam - then you’ll see some proper sales.

 

[martino]

No it's what sony do to be where they are .
They also push medium/ big budget games taking risks and not only AAA made to maximize sales.

 

[Life]

Didn't this whole pandemic increase console and software sales? Streaming is up too.

 

[Fuz]

So, maybe he'll make good games, instead!

 

[vaibhavpisal]

He should make smaller budget games. AAA budget should be allocated to games that need it.

DS as smaller budget, cel-shaded graphics would've worked much better and easier to swallow.

He may be a decent story teller but is not good at executing new concepts he has in mind. Eg Metal Gear Rising Revengence and Death Stranding itself.

 

[FrankCaron]

Given that P.T. is the best thing he created since MGS1, and it had a shoestring budget comparatively, I’d say give the man the same total budget but for 10 smaller games.

 

[Nankatsu]

We need guys like Kojima to stick around with his mind and projects. Not everybody likes him but he delivers when you're trying to experience something new and different. I hope his next project doesn't get a lower budget.

Because he's the hero the Gaming Community deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A gaming knight.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I really hope so, but will PC gamers like DS? It's a hard game to sell, but I hope the modders give it some extra legs or two!

PC gamer here. There are all sorts of niche on the pc gaming sphere, some with a lot of traction.
The most popular games on pc (excluding MP), some of which have been popular for a few years now and others that are amongst the top rated by users on steam, involve:
Building factories, delivering truck cargos, farming, reading, economy, management.... you get the picture.

Of course, not all of those sell millions upon millions of copies, and the ones that do are usually throughout many years of support rather than a post-release peak as it usually is with AAA and consoles.

In regards to Death Stranding, it'll definitely get a cult following (as it already has), but since there won't be any support or post-release content (i think) it won't become a Factorio or a Euro Truck SImulator 2. Things like the quality of the port, mod support (it'd get 10x more popular if it were to support steam workshop) and replayability would also play a huge role in determining the success of the game on the platform. However, It would still get hate simply because it already does.

Another important thing is the gameplay itself. I see a lot of people saying its boring (haven't played myself yet), but more important than that would be if it has consistent systems and rules, as well as interesting progession. Being 'boring' hasn't stoped Euro Truck Simulator 2 from being one of the most played and well rated games on the platform.

 

[Clear]

He'll be fine, although I suspect he'll have to skew a bit more conventional with his next title

DS is pretty radical, whether you liked it or not.

 

[Ozrimandias]

To be honest, I'd prefer a smaller-budget game from Kojima. Let him be as wild as possible.

Creative people often flourish when given limitations.

Small budget and Kojima doesn't go together in the same sentence

 

[-Arcadia-]

Maybe not for a publisher, but DS being radical is probably one of its most positive aspects.

What Kojima needs to look at is the gameplay and polish — I love DS, but I’m not quite sure the entire concept landed. There’s a lot of common sense tweaks that could have been made, and that would greatly enhance the enjoyment of the game.

I don’t want to see Kojima restricted. I can just imagine the typical military/stealth game now. I want to see him have the chance to iterate on his wonderful ideas, better.

Fortunately, he’s friendly with a publisher that seems to value creativity and showpieces for their consoles, more than a direct return. If Sony agrees to more Kojima games, and I think they will, I think he’ll get a pretty blank slate. Perhaps not as blank as before, where nobody seemed to question anything, but that might be healthy for him as a creator, to have to fight for some ideas a bit.

 

[ExpandKong]

Small budget and Kojima doesn't go together in the same sentence

Maybe that’s the problem.

 

[V4skunk]

After reading and contemplating about that gemastru article regarding Kojima's statements, I can't help but feel as if his days are numbered already.

As good as Death Stranding was, it didn't capture the zeitgest the way his previous titles did, and this could impact his ability as an auteur to make the games that he would love to make, rather than secure a project with a guaranteed profit margin.

After what happened to the global economy, developers like Kojima will become less appealing to both publishers and the average gamer who would want to spend their $60 on a game that would guarantee a "fun time" rather than experiences a singular visionary work of art, so to speak.

I'm glad he's working on a new project, but I'm afraid this could be his last title in this decade before he either decides to retire or loses financial support from publishers.

What do you think, GAF?

I think you don't have a clue.
Kojima has enough money to make what ever game he wants.

 

[Mypmarlo]

In my honest opinion last great Kojima game was in 2004 and now we have Yoko Taro so who gives a fuck

But I think he still has plenty of freedom to do what he wants