Kojima Looking West

[DoctorFinger]

The team behind the Metal Gear series has it's eyes set on the Western gaming market. Kojima Productions is looking not so much into the creative aspects of Western games, but instead they're looking to bring a more Western business structure to their studio. Metal Gear designer and producer Hideo Kojima has revealed that his studio, Kojima Productions, will 'start from zero' from 2009 in order to better complete globally.

"We're currently reviewing everything - from the team structure to tools and our staff - in order to make Kojima Productions a team that can challenge foreign creators and software houses,"
--
"I've thought a lot about how Western games have been winning, looking it from a global perspective, and there are things that I've noticed. So 2009 will be a year of change, a year where we start from zero again."What exactly does a more Western focus mean? It means emulating the "blockbuster" strategy used here in the US; fewer, but higher budget games. Now, I know what you're all saying. The studio behind the Metal Gear series (which have some of the highest production costs in the industry) is going high budget? But the studio does handle some other properties, such as Botkai & Zone of Enders. Ultimately this is a rather disappointing repudiation of the tradition of quirky and unique Japanese games. While Kojima Productions doesn't churn out as many of these little gems as, say Tri-Ace, but it could be an indication of where the industry is headed in Nippon.

Sources - Develop (http://www.developmag.com/news/31026/Kojima-Productions-starting-from-zero-for-2009); Edge-Online (http://www.edge-online.com/news/kojima-declares-new-western-direction).

[Raen]

Becoming more Western can only lower the sales in Japan. There's no real way to compete in a global market in media. You may get lucky and find something that has global success, but cultural preferences and differences are so vast it's very difficult to appeal to everyone, even if you're only looking at Western Democracies. For example look at the differences in TV between the UK and the US for a start.

[Purple Santa]

Go where the biggest dollars I guess. Will going for it all with the blockbusters work? What's more of a gamble? Trying to win the holiday season or having smaller games that cost less but might not be profitable? I always like when a developer/publisher try to be somewhat diversified.

[Wellscha]

ZoE 3 is enough.

I dont want a shooter.

[RandoM51]

Becoming more Western can only lower the sales in Japan.

What sales? Console sales are stagnant in Japan, only the handhelds have good numbers. If somebody is interested in continuing to make AAA console titles looking to the west makes perfect sense to me because the market for such games in Japan is near-nonexistent.

[Raen]

What sales? Console sales are stagnant in Japan, only the handhelds have good numbers. If somebody is interested in continuing to make AAA console titles looking to the west makes perfect sense to me because the market for such games in Japan is near-nonexistent.

Fair enough, my point was more that you can't appeal to every market.

[Gorvi]

Interesting. This seems like they're going to try to take a cue from Western developers and try to streamline the way they do things more, not all of a sudden make games that would only appeal to those in Western markets. Unless I'm reading that incorrectly.

[Widgetcraft]

What sales? Console sales are stagnant in Japan, only the handhelds have good numbers. If somebody is interested in continuing to make AAA console titles looking to the west makes perfect sense to me because the market for such games in Japan is near-nonexistent.

Doesn't that suggest that they should refocus development towards handhelds? I think that is pretty much the way we're headed, anyhow.

[Gorvi]

Doesn't that suggest that they should refocus development towards handhelds? I think that is pretty much the way we're headed, anyhow.
If that means another Portable Ops or Ac!d game, then hell yes.

[Deadend]

Fair enough, my point was more that you can't appeal to every market.

Mario says hi.

[Mr. Murphy]

Couldn't going western, in this case, mean more focus on gameplay and less on long cinematics?

[Johan]

...cultural preferences and differences are so vast it's very difficult to appeal to everyone...

Yes, and yes again. I could not possibly agree more than I do. There will always be exceptions, but they merely prove the rule.

Perhaps what Kojima is really saying, implicitly, is that they're looking to where the video game dollars are. The West is the biggest piece of the global gaming pie, and unless you're in handhelds, Japan is drying up.

[Raen]

Mario says hi.

I'm European so Sonic kicks Mario's ass. :p

[MosBen]

Isn't at least part of the focus on handheld gaming that it's cheaper to develop games for handhelds? But aren't handhelds just a couple generations behind the current home console games, leaving this same problem to crop up in just a few years?

[MagGnome]

I've personally been less and less interested in the big "blockbuster" titles and more interested in the smaller/quirky/indy games. I find that they often have more personality in them than the big budget AAA games. I think going for the big blockbusters is ultimately the wrong way to go for many studios, as only a few mega-developers and publishers can really seem to compete in that space.

[Purple Santa]

I've personally been less and less interested in the big "blockbuster" titles and more interested in the smaller/quirky/indy games. I find that they often have more personality in them than the big budget AAA games. I think going for the big blockbusters is ultimately the wrong way to go for many studios, as only a few mega-developers and publishers can really seem to compete in that space.

I couldn't agree more. Seems developers/publishers all want that big property (GoW etc) so it can sell up to a million or more copies. So it's all eggs in one basket hoping to hit the lottery. That's basically what it is. Hoping to hit the holiday season lottery.

[Thanasimos]

Isn't at least part of the focus on handheld gaming that it's cheaper to develop games for handhelds? But aren't handhelds just a couple generations behind the current home console games, leaving this same problem to crop up in just a few years?

Well, imagine how expensive console titles will be by then.

[pronounconnoun]

More XBOX 360 exclusives?

[Stoke]

Isn't at least part of the focus on handheld gaming that it's cheaper to develop games for handhelds? But aren't handhelds just a couple generations behind the current home console games, leaving this same problem to crop up in just a few years?


I think the main reason handhelds are becoming dominate in Japan is because of the massive use of public transportation. Handhelds have finally reached the point where anything you can do on a console can be done there. That said, I hope the shift never happens in America. They're fine in addition to consoles but I would never want to only have handhelds.


Also, you know what's popular in the west? Multi-platform titles. Could this be that long awaited announcement? :p

[TheFlyingOrc]

People read the whole OP its not making western styled games its business practices.

MGS is an example of where they needed to develop it differently (regardless or how good the final product was). They spent far too much money making it.

[Tron]

Mario says hi.

My thoughts exactly.

[BlackPete]

Could this be a roundabout way of confirming that MGS4 is coming to the 360? ;)

[Gorvi]

Could this be a roundabout way of confirming that MGS4 is coming to the 360? ;)
Doesn't everything mean that? ;)

[OldJadedGamer]

Considering how often Sony and Konami trumpet the success of MGS4 only on PS3, according to Sony, Kojima is doing everything right. Why change if MGS4 was so successful??? Obviously, whatever they did works just fine........

[Urizen]

I'm European so Sonic kicks Mario's ass. :p

I didn't know Europe was 16 years behind.

[Primus]

I just looked at my videogame collection after reading this and the Japanese developers are nowhere to be seen. I would have to agree with him that the west is making better games.

[fitbabits]

Does this mean that Metal Gear Solid on Xbox 360 is more likely? My crystal ball says yes.

[Gorvi]

Does this mean that Metal Gear Solid on Xbox 360 is more likely? My crystal ball says yes.
You're funny. ;)

[fitbabits]

You're funny. ;)
I do try. I'll be here all week - tips are greatly appreciated and will be quickly spent.