Ben-DutkaHideo Kojima has been busy with the Tweeting recently. After making an interesting comparison between Western and Eastern development styles, he has moved on to talk a bit about his next project…whatever that may be.
As a follow-up to his first set of statements concerning design, Kojima now says he wants his team to "throw out the old ways of production." But don't freak out; this isn't the dreaded Japanese company attempt to "go Western;" it's more about an artistry choice. You can check Siliconera for an assembly of Kojima's recent personal Tweets; here's what he had to say about creating a "beautiful world:"
"For my next project, I’m going to mention to the staff to throw out the old ways of production. Do not create pretty images, create a beautiful world. Designers shouldn’t focus only on their part, but also borrow the programmer’s strength to maximize the quality. We shouldn’t measure quality by parts, we will measure by the quality and completion of the entire world."
You know, if you think about it, we really do remember the "pretty images" from MGS4 but we don't necessarily recall epic vistas. In fact, I can recall minute details of the characters, choreography and special effects, but I don't recall too many of the game's settings and environments. It appears Kojima has noticed this as well and wishes to give his next project more of a sweeping, memorable landscape.
But what is that project? Well, it isn't Metal Gear Solid: Rising . Added Kojima:
"Had our first meeting for the next “A HIDEO KOJIMA GAME” with the core team members today. Some member are also participating on [Metal Gear Solid] “RISING” so 10 people total this time. We will have a meeting every morning to discuss planning, testing, research, and scouting. An open environment to talk about important issues and share our dreams and concept for the project."
Kojima has spoken about Rising as "passing the torch to a younger crowd," so-to-speak, and he's more of a producer than a lead designer, as he usually is with his projects. Here, he's talking about his next game, and…well, maybe it's the oft-promised Zone of the Enders 3 . Or just a true-blue MGS6. Who knows? We just know we need to hear more about it.