Kojima Productions
Kojima Productions Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game development studio founded in 2015 by Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series.[3] It is the spiritual successor to a production team inside Konami also known as Kojima Productions originally founded in 2005. The team had around 100 employees, but grew to over 200 for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.[4][5] After leaving Konami, Kojima founded an independent studio with a slightly altered Japanese name[a] in Shinagawa.[6][7] The studio uses the Decima game engine by Guerrilla Games for its games.
Logo used since 2015 | |
Native name | 株式会社コジマプロダクション |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha Kojima Purodakushon |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | April 2005 (original) December 16, 2015 (relaunch) |
| Founder | Hideo Kojima |
| Defunct | March 16, 2015 (original) |
| Headquarters | , Japan |
Key people |
|
Number of employees | ~80[1] (2019) |
| Parent | Konami (2005–2015) |
| Divisions | Kojima Productions Amsterdam[2] |
| Website | kojimaproductions |
History edit
Pre-independence edit
The production team was formed in April 2005, after Konami merged several subsidiaries including Kojima's group at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan.[8] Kojima said the merger relieved him of business management and administrative burdens he had as KCEJ's vice president, and that as head of Kojima Productions he could focus on creating games.[8] According to Kojima, while he now held a position on the Konami board, he still had to persuade staff to invest in his game ideas.[9]
The name of the team follows Konami's "<> production(s)" naming style used between 2004 and 2015. Other production teams include Pawapuro Production, BEMANI Production, Virtual Kiss Production and Loveplus Production alongside others. The team developed game engine Fox Engine.
On March 16, 2015, Konami announced that it had restructured the game development operations to change the production structure to a headquarters-controlled system, "in order to establish a steadfast operating base capable of responding to the rapid market changes that surround our digital entertainment business". A few days later, an anonymous Konami employee stated that Kojima and the studio's senior staff had planned to leave Konami in December 2015 following the conclusion of their contracts and the release of The Phantom Pain.[10] Konami denied that Kojima was leaving the company and stated that he would still be involved with the company and the Metal Gear franchise.[11][12] Kojima affirmed that he was still "100% involved" in The Phantom Pain and was determined to make it the greatest game he could.[13] In December 2015, the production team was nominated for Developer of the Year at The Game Awards 2015, but lost to CD Projekt Red.[14] Kojima was reportedly blocked from attending the event by Konami's lawyers, requiring Big Boss's actor Kiefer Sutherland to accept the awards for The Phantom Pain on his behalf.[15]
Kojima Productions edit
On December 16, 2015, in a joint announcement with Sony Computer Entertainment, Kojima announced that he would start an independent studio, alongside Yoji Shinkawa and Kenichiro Imaizumi.[16][17][18] The studio announced that it would develop a new franchise for PlayStation 4.[19] Kojima stated that he "will be taking on a new challenge by establishing my own independent studio, and I am thrilled to be able to embark on this journey with PlayStation, who I have continued to work with all these past years".[20] At E3 2016, Kojima unveiled a trailer to Death Stranding during Sony's pre-E3 conference.[21][22] It was released by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2019, and a PC version was released by 505 Games on Windows in July 2020. In November 2019, the studio announced their plans to make films.[23]
Kojima modeled the philosophy of Media Molecule when reforming the studio.[24][25] After visiting the company in 2016, he simultaneously modeled his own, wanting "a small, intimate type of studio".[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] Kojima praised their high number of female employees and relaxed atmosphere, which he compared to that of a family.[25][28][31][32] He set a limit of one hundred employees for the studio, similar to Media Molecule.[24][25][26][30][33]
Imaizumi left the company in 2019.[34] In April 2020, the office was temporarily closed after an employee contracted COVID-19.[35]
In October 2020, it was confirmed the company is working on the next game in development.[36]
In November 2021, it was announced that it would open a new business division for films and television series in Los Angeles.[37]
On June 12, 2022, during Microsoft's digital presentation, Kojima announced that it had partnered with Xbox Game Studios to develop a new game featuring a "never before-seen concept" and leveraging Microsoft's "cutting-edge cloud technology".[38]
In December 2022, it was announced that Kojima Productions will produce a film based on Death Stranding with Hammerstone Studios.[39]
Games edit
Though Kojima had been working on games at Konami, the production team was not officially formed until 2005. However, Konami retroactively referred to his past games as belonging to the studio.[40] His games for Konami were released until 2015.
Prior games developed by Kojima edit
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Metal Gear | MSX2 | Released only in Japan and Europe. Ported to the NES by a separate team after its initial release. |
| 1988 | Snatcher | PC-8801, MSX2 | |
| 1990 | SD Snatcher | MSX2 | |
| Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake | |||
| 1992 | Snatcher CD-ROMantic | PC Engine | Remake of the original Snatcher with an expanded ending and added voice acting. Ported to the Sega CD by another team for the overseas market in 1994. A set of 32-bit ports for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn were released in Japan in 1996, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. |
| 1994 | Policenauts | PC-9821 | Released only in Japan. |
| 1995 | 3DO | ||
| 1996 | PlayStation, Sega Saturn |
Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (KCEJ) edit
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series Vol. 1: Nijiiro no Seisyun | PlayStation, Sega Saturn | A series of adventure game spinoffs to the Tokimeki Memorial dating sim developed on the Policenauts engine. |
| 1998 | Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series Vol. 2: Irodori no Lovesong | ||
| Metal Gear Solid | PlayStation | First Kojima game to be developed under the Konami Computer Entertainment Japan subsidiary | |
| 1999 | Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series Vol. 3: Tabidachi no Uta | PlayStation, Sega Saturn | |
| Metal Gear Solid: Integral | PlayStation | Expanded version of the original Metal Gear Solid featuring a third disc of bonus missions. The third disc was released by itself as Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions in North America and as Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions in the PAL region. Windows version developed by Digital Dialect. | |
| 2000 | Windows | ||
| Metal Gear: Ghost Babel | Game Boy Color | ||
| 2001 | Zone of the Enders | PlayStation 2 | |
| Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | |||
| 2002 | The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 | ||
| Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance | Xbox, PlayStation 2 | Expanded version of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Windows version developed by Success. | |
| 2003 | Windows | ||
| Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner | PlayStation 2 | ||
| Boktai | Game Boy Advance | ||
| 2004 | Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes | GameCube | Remake of the first Metal Gear Solid developed in collaboration with Silicon Knights |
| Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django | Game Boy Advance | ||
| Metal Gear Acid | PlayStation Portable | ||
| Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater | PlayStation 2 |
Konami production team lead by Kojima edit
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Shin Bokura no Taiyō: Gyakushu no Sabata | Game Boy Advance | Third game in the Boktai series released only in Japan. Also known as Boktai 3: Sabata's Counterattack. |
| Metal Gear Acid 2 | PlayStation Portable | ||
| Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence | PlayStation 2 | Expanded version of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. | |
| 2006 | Kabushiki Baibai Trainer Kabutore | Nintendo DS | |
| Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel | PlayStation Portable | ||
| Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops | |||
| 2007 | Lunar Knights | Nintendo DS | Fourth game in the Boktai series, which was retitled for its overseas release |
| Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus | PlayStation Portable | ||
| 2008 | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | PlayStation 3 | |
| Metal Gear Online | |||
| 2009 | Gaitame Baibai Trainer: Kabutore FX | Nintendo DS | |
| Metal Gear Solid Touch | iOS | ||
| 2010 | Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker | PlayStation Portable | |
| Castlevania: Lords of Shadow | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Collaboration with MercurySteam | |
| 2011 | Metal Gear Solid HD Collection | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | HD conversions of MGS2, MGS3 and Peace Walker. The Vita versions only includes MGS2 and MGS3. In Japan, Peace Walker was given a separate retail release for PS3 and Xbox 360. |
| 2012 | PlayStation Vita | ||
| Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D | Nintendo 3DS | ||
| Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops | Mobile | ||
| Zone of the Enders HD Collection | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | ||
| 2013 | Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Collaboration with PlatinumGames |
| Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection | PlayStation 3 | Compilation that includes all the titles in the HD Collection, plus MGS4 and a voucher code for the original MGS and its expansion | |
| 2014 | Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes | Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | |
| P.T. | PlayStation 4 | "Playable teaser" for the cancelled Silent Hills; credited under the pseudonym "7780s Studio" | |
| 2015 | Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One |
Kojima Productions edit
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Death Stranding | PlayStation 4, Windows, PlayStation 5, macOS | First game to not be affiliated with Konami; published on PS4 in 2019 by Sony Interactive Entertainment and on PC in 2020 by 505 Games. A Director's Cut version was released in 2021 for PS5 and in 2022 for PC. |
| TBA | Death Stranding 2 (working title)[41][42] | PlayStation 5 | |
| TBA | Untitled Xbox Game Studios game[43] | TBA |
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| TBA | Untitled Death Stranding film | Co-production with Hammerstone Studios |
Notes edit
- ^ Although both names translate to Kojima Productions in English, the Konami production team was named 小島プロダクション with the independent company コジマプロダクション.
References edit
- ^ Brown, Peter (September 17, 2019). "Hideo Kojima Says It's His Destiny To Take Risks And Create New Games". GameSpot. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Death Stranding Uses Guerrilla's Decima Engine; Kojima Setting Up Satellite Studio In Amsterdam". WCCF Tech. December 5, 2016.
- ^ Karlin, David (September 28, 2005). . 1UP.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
- ^ Blevins, Tal (August 19, 2005). "GC 2005: Hideo Kojima Interview". IGN. from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
- ^ Nutt, Christian (October 15, 2007). "Infiltrating Kojima Productions: Ryan Payton Talks Metal Gear Solid 4". Gamasutra. p. 5. from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
- ^ Sliva, Marty (January 25, 2017). "Hideo Kojima, Death Stranding, and Building the Studio". IGN. from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ Hansen, Steven (December 16, 2015). "Metal Gear creator starts Kojima Productions to work on PS4 exclusive". Destructoid. from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ a b "Hideo Kojima Exclusive Q&A". GameSpot. May 20, 2005. from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
- ^ Doree, Adam (August 24, 2008). "Hideo Kojima: The Kikizo Interview 2008". Kikizo. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
- ^ Brown, Peter; Crossley, Rob (March 20, 2015). "Kojima Expected to Leave Konami After MGS5, Inside Source Confirms". GameSpot. from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ Megan, Farokhmanesh (March 19, 2015). "Konami removes Kojima name from Metal Gear games, Kojima rumored to leave (update)". Polygon. from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (March 20, 2015). "Konami announces plan for brand new Metal Gear series". Eurogamer. from the original on November 30, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (March 20, 2015). "Hideo Kojima says he's still '100 percent involved' in completing Metal Gear Solid 5". Polygon. from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ^ . The Game Awards. Ola Balola. November 12, 2015. Archived from the original on November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ Tach, Dave (December 3, 2015). "Konami prevented Kojima from attending The Game Awards, host says". Polygon. Vox Media. from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ Dyer, Mitch (December 16, 2015). "Hideo Kojima Talks New Studio, 'Edgy' PlayStation Game, and the Future". IGN. from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
- ^ Tucker, Jake (December 16, 2016). "Shinji Hirano named as new President of Kojima Productions". MCV/Develop.
- ^ Dennison, Kara (January 16, 2017). "Former Konami Staffers Follow Hideo Kojima to His New Company". Crunchyroll. Otter Media. from the original on July 25, 2019.
- ^ "Sony Computer Entertainment Enters Into An Agreement with Kojima Productions" (Press release). Sony Computer Entertainment. December 16, 2015. from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (December 16, 2015). "Hideo Kojima confirms departure from Konami, forms new studio and partnership with Sony". Polygon. Vox Media. from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (June 15, 2016). "Death Stranding's teaser probably won't be playable, Hideo Kojima says". Polygon. Vox Media. from the original on December 5, 2019.
- ^ O'Connor, Alice (June 14, 2016). "Kojima Productions Announce Death Stranding". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ^ Purslow, Matt (November 4, 2019). "Kojima Productions Plans to Make Films in the Future". IGN. from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c Sliva, Marty (January 26, 2017). "Hideo Kojima, Death Stranding, and Building the Studio". IGN. Ziff Davis. from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Barker, Sammy (May 24, 2016). "Hideo Kojima Modelling New Studio on Media Molecule". Push Square. Gamer Network. from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Holmes, Mike (May 23, 2016). "Kojima on why he's modelling his studio on Media Molecule". Gamereactor. Gamez Publishing A/S. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ "Hideo Kojima Tries PlayStation VR, Visits LittleBigPlanet Dev Media Molecule". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. January 25, 2016. from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Goldfarb, Andrew (February 19, 2016). "DICE 2016: Why Kojima Hopes to Keep His New Studio Small". IGN. Ziff Davis. from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (January 26, 2017). "Hideo Kojima shows off his fancy new studio". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ a b "Kojima's new studio is modeled on Media Molecule and won't go over 100 employees". PCGamesN. Network N. May 24, 2016. from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ a b "Kojima's new studio inspired by Media Molecule". MCV/Develop. Biz Media. May 24, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ a b Prell, Sam (May 23, 2016). "Hideo Kojima is modeling his new studio after LittleBigPlanet dev Media Molecule". GamesRadar+. Future Publishing. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ a b "Hideo Kojima's World Tour: Building Games & Studios". Gamereactor. Gamez Publishing A/S. May 24, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- ^ Gera, Emily (May 17, 2020). "Metal Gear Solid veteran Ken-Ichiro Imaizumi joins Tencent a year after leaving Kojima Productions". VG247. from the original on May 27, 2020.
- ^ Carreau, Glenn (March 30, 2020). "Kojima Productions Employee Tests Positive for Coronavirus". Game Rant. from the original on April 30, 2020.
- ^ Gurwin, Gabe (October 22, 2020). "Kojima Productions Has Started Its Next Game, And It's Hiring". GameSpot.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (November 22, 2021). "Kojima Productions Opens A Film And TV Business". GameSpot. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (June 12, 2022). "Hideo Kojima is working on a new Xbox game". Polygon. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (December 15, 2022). "'Death Stranding' Film Based On Hit Video Game In Works From 'Barbarian' EP Alex Lebovici's Hammerstone Studios, Kojima Productions". Deadline. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ "Kojima Productions Lineup". Konami. 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
- ^ "Death Stranding 2 Officially Announced". GameSpot. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS (Eng) [@KojiPro2015_EN] (December 9, 2022). "DEATH STRANDING 2 (Working Title) has officially been announced at #TheGameAwards For more information, please visit our website 👇" (Tweet). Retrieved December 9, 2022 – via Twitter.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Microsoft and Kojima Productions announce partnership for new title". Gematsu. June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
External links edit
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Kojima Productions in Japanese Wikipedia (Konami development team)
- Kojima Productions Co., Ltd. in Japanese Wikipedia