Hideo Kojima wants people to know he’s a determined independent video game developer. That is, his studio “has nothing to do with anyone,” but “every day.” Death Stranding The auteur declines purchase offers from other companies.
Kojima said in the latest edition of Brain Structure, a podcast available through Spotify. (For the record, Kojima speaks in Japanese with an English overdub). “But I don’t want money. I want to make what I want to make. That’s why I created this studio.
Kojima hosts the podcast, and this week his guest was his good friend Jeff Keighley, who himself hosted The Game Awards — so, Kojima moderated the discussion. (Disclosure: Kojima is a member of the Game Awards advisory board.)
However, Keighley quickly took on the role of an interviewer, asking Kojima about recent developments in the game industry. “There are a lot of rumors about the games, especially on social media, and I thought we’d talk about some of the rumors out there and some of the truth behind those rumors,” Keighley said.
The two then engaged in a lengthy discussion about rumor culture, entertainment products and social media. After mentioning this summer’s announcement that Kojima was working on a game for Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studio, Keighley brought up Kojima’s already close working relationship with PlayStation and Sony Interactive Entertainment.Death Stranding was, and still is, a PlayStation console exclusive), and whether he has made commitments to one console manufacturer or another over the years.
“I think a lot of people have a misconception about Kojima Productions,” he said. “I created this company in 2015 after leaving Konami. It was 100% out of my pocket. No funding is received from anyone. So, we are free. “
Kojima acknowledged that his studio’s real, physical proximity to Sony’s worldwide headquarters (in Shibuya, Tokyo) and the headquarters of Sony Interactive Entertainment meant that “people think we’re part of Sony”. But as this summer’s announcement about Microsoft suggests, “We’re indies. We have no affiliation and we have no support from anyone. […] Every day, I receive offers from all over the world to buy our studio.
“Some of those offers are ridiculously high prices, but it’s not like I want the money,” Kojima said. “I want to make what I want to make. That’s why I created this studio.
In other words, for those hoping that Kojima Productions (and Musket Ludens) will be the latest big-name acquisition in a year, don’t hold your breath. “As long as I’m alive, I don’t think I’ll ever accept those offers,” Kojima said.
One assumes that Kojima’s appearance came when his tenure at Konami ended in 2015, when the publisher dismissed him and his ideas in favor of building pachinko machines and burning Pro Evolution Soccer.
But Kojima also speaks as an artist (35 years and counting in this medium) who understands creative capital and how much he’s earned.
