Hideo Kojima revealed that his studio Kojima Productions will be making movies as well as making video games, as part of his vision for the company (via IGN).
BBC Newsbeat interviewed the Metal Gear creator for a documentary on the development of Death Stranding. Kojima put it plainly: ‘In the future, Kojima Productions will also start making films. If a person can do one thing well, then they should be able to do anything well.’ Josh’s review of Death Stranding showed that Kojima has captured modern cinema in the desolation of its world. That’s not to say it is a mimicry; it’s all part of his ‘outlandish visual poetry’, which does come with the occasional clanger of dialogue and an odd cameo from one of his pals.
In the interview, Kojima expressed he was keen to explore how streaming will affect how we consume and enjoy entertainment of all forms. ‘I’m very interested in the new format of game that will appear on there and that’s what I want to take on,’ he said, and explained that games will compete with movies and television as an equal contender.
Death Stranding must be played to be believed, and it has escaped the clutches of simple and easy categories of genre and mechanics. Kojima revealed that it was his intention to create a product that bridged the conventions of cinema and of video games. ‘But this game is, to start with, like Guillermo del Toro told me, not a way to break out, but to make something that the fans expect,’ he continued. ‘There are new elements to the game but the basis is something people are used to playing.’
As to when Kojima Productions will begin to make movies, that was left unsaid. However, given the star power of Death Stranding, the company certainly has a foot firmly placed in each camp. Shuhei Yoshida, Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios president, said that the game felt like ‘a really well done Netflix original series’. Maybe the studio’s first foray into movie production could give Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch a run for its money.
Death Stranding launches on November 8 for the PlayStation 4, and then will arrive on PC in the future.
