Japanese game designer Hideo Kojimabeing the author of franchises such as Metal gear and Death stranding, decided to share my experience with Playstation, which he has accumulated over more than two decades. Look for some interesting stories from the developer’s life below.
“This was in 1993, when the predecessor team of Kojima Productions called Kaihatsu Gobu (部 発 5 部 – in the development department 5”) was just formed, ”recalls Kojima in an interview with Weekly Famitsu. “I was in Kobe, and the original PlayStation was not released until next year.”
From the very beginning of his acquaintance with the new console, Kojima knew that he wanted to release the next Metal Gear on it.
“Three-dimensional games, where polygons were used to build graphics, have just begun to appear in the Arcades,” the developer continues. “I thought it was a problem for the home console – the gap is too wide. And then, when I saw the specifications, I found that a shiver was breaking through me. At that moment, I realized that if I release Metal Gear on this console, the game will be incredibly cool. “
At the time of the launch of the original PlayStation, Kojima worked on the Policenauts PC game. However, his eyes were fixed on the new console.
“I promised myself that I would do Metal Gear for the PlayStation, so I asked Yoji shinkavu to develop a prototype of Metal Gear REX and other things to prepare. ”
Interestingly, since the transfer of Policenauts to the PlayStation, Kojima began to get acquainted with the console. However, as it always happens, the adventure was not without pitfalls. Unlike the computer market, game developers for consoles needed to be tested by equipment manufacturers. They searched for bugs and evaluated games released on their systems, which led to a rather interesting incident when porting Policenauts to the PlayStation.
“Sony Computer Entertainment contacted me and its staff told me:“ At the upcoming meeting, we will need to decide how many times the heroine’s chest will be stirred up. ” I started arguing with them, hinting at the whole absurdity of the situation, ”Kojima laughs. “In the end, we settled this issue, but I will never forget the argument about the“ swaying chest problem ”with Shuhei Yoshida, who at that time was our contact person at SCE.”
Metal Gear Solid was released in 1998 and made a splash, but no matter how revolutionary the game, Kojima realized that he was not the only creative person in the industry. It turns out that other talented developers worked in it, perhaps even more talented than him.
“At that time there were no three-dimensional polygonal games where you could control the camera in real time. Therefore, I created a space of 50 cubic meters, added several enemies and began to test, taking the sight of a sniper rifle as a point of view, ”recalls Kojima. “It was really exciting, so I thought to myself:“ It would be great to create a game based on all this, ”but Tomb Raider got ahead of me. It was then that I felt threatened by foreign studios, realizing that they are really good. ”
Kojima immediately realized that the PlayStation has enormous potential that game developers can unleash. But he was even more shocked by working with Sony, namely, how the attitude towards the creators of games has changed.
“I believe that the gaming industry has changed with the advent of Sony, as the company has positioned us as“ creators, ”” Kojima explained. “Our photos were in the articles, as if we were artists, and parties were held for us. Game developers who, until now, had never cared about what they wore, began to monitor their appearance. It really felt like the gaming industry was driving the world. ”
Another fun episode occurred in Kojima’s life shortly after the release of the original Metal Gear Solid.
“Ken Kutaragi unexpectedly called me to him. And he told me: “PlayStation 2 is coming out,” ”says Kojima. “Then he handed me a development kit – one of the few existing ones – and said:” Mr. Kojima, please take this with you. “
Information about the PlayStation 2 was a huge corporate secret, so after returning to his office Kojima closed in a meeting room with one of the programmers and tested the device for three days.
Hideo Kojima is currently looking for inspiration for the development of his next game. According to rumors, it can become a horror.
Read also: Silent Hill Pyramid Head creator Masahiro Ito working on a new game
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