Kojima Production was born out of Hideo Kojima’s ambitions to become a film director and also because of the desire to take on something challenging. After leaving Konami, he knew it was finally time, and he re-founded the studio as an independent one.
The studio will celebrate its ninth anniversary later this year, but we aren’t getting anything from it in 2024. But we know they are working on three titles, and the sequel to his 2019 hit, Death Stranding, is among them.
It’s All About Work People Love at Kojima Productions
Maybe, Hideo Kojima had to work his finger to the bones, but he is doing that independently, which could be fun. Take Death Stranding for example; he gave a lot of energy to the game. So much that it predicted a global pandemic. Coincidence? Maybe not.
But working as an independent studio isn’t quite easy. But a team of some dedicated people and a relaxed environment can help. In an interview he gave back in the day, he explained that creators should be their own producers.
He said:
In my experience, I always end up telling creators I meet to be their own producer. You can’t make what you want otherwise. Directors I know in the film business, such as Nicholas Winding Refn and Guillermo del Toro, they both produce their own movies.
Creators need to create things on their own and that’s what the studio has been doing as one single organism. Regarding this, he said that:
I think Kojima Productions is an indie studio that focuses on creating things.
In the interview, Hideo Kojima also mentioned Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki as one of these hard-working individuals in the industry.
Hideo Kojima Never Wanted a Corporate Structure as it Wouldn’t be Worth it
Kojima’s independent studio was also a rebellion that people won’t even notice until they see the story closely. He called Japanese studios “armies” in another interview owing to the strict hierarchy. Sounds more like ‘corporate’ than ‘creative’.
He wanted to go easy and with the kind of environment he came across while his visit to a British game studio, Media Molecule, he knew what he had to do now. And he learned one vital lesson there while he was still exploring new possibilities for his studio, always have a kitchen.
Corporates are more like grownups, and they might be good at business, creativity won’t really be their sound trait. Art needs more ‘children’ to bloom, as it is when the minds are open. That is something pivotal to creative endeavors like video games.
What do you think about the studio’s story? We would like to know your thoughts about it in the comments section below.
