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Which publisher should Kojima team up with after leaving Konami?
- Thread starter Poetic.Injustice
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Zone of Enders would've been incredible if it wasn't a side project for him.
Kojima hasn't done much outside of MGS because he hasn't been allowed to. He's wanted to stop working on it but Konami won't have any of that. Thus bringing us to our current scenario.
Nightengale
Member
Would've been? ZoE2 is AMAZING.
He should go to Square/Eidos to make new Hitman game.
Or come to Microsoft because that is the only company that would cough up a quarter billion for him to make new game/studio while pushing a big marketing campaign with it.
Edit: MS also has the $ to buy the MGS ip from Konami. Not that I see them selling it but if they are serious about leaving the gaming industry than it would make sense for them to get rid of it.
Honestly tho I would rather see him retire. Whatever new game he makes it will never be better than the MGS series. So it would just be downhill for him until he eventually retires anyways.
Or come to Microsoft because that is the only company that would cough up a quarter billion for him to make new game/studio while pushing a big marketing campaign with it.
Edit: MS also has the $ to buy the MGS ip from Konami. Not that I see them selling it but if they are serious about leaving the gaming industry than it would make sense for them to get rid of it.
Honestly tho I would rather see him retire. Whatever new game he makes it will never be better than the MGS series. So it would just be downhill for him until he eventually retires anyways.
Anuson.Phan
Banned
Every Great One loses its child, and then yearns for a surrogate.
He's even less involved in ZoE2 than he was in the first one though. It was more of a Shuyo Murata game.
Oh I think both games are amazing (hence my username), especially with ZOE2, but I get this feeling the game could've been so, so, so much more still.
Brad Grenz
Member
I feel like Warner Brothers Interactive has really stepped up as a publisher. They mostly focus on their licenses, but if they wanted to build up a major new IP, Kojima would be an interesting partner for them.
Ugh, I doubt he has any interest in taking over someone else's tired stealth action IP.
I doubt MS would be writing any blank checks like that. This isn't like buying a huge brand that prints money like Minecraft. Given the state of Xbox One sales they can't take such a huge shot in the dark.
Nightengale
Member
See where I'm going with my stupid edit of your post? Just because a developer may never eclipse their previous magnum opus doesn't somehow make their future games not good. I want more games, not a legacy.
Agreed. Which is why I advocate for Kojima to stay in Japan, because any western/overseas option will very likely involve a further splintered KojiPro, even amongst the core leadership of KojiPro like Murata, etc.
Other than MGS, it's hard to quantify what kind of auteur-ship Kojima has over his side-projects like ZoE. But the overall talent at KojiPro is amazing.
How do you know he is going to make mobile games if he makes his own studio?
And if he does make a mobile game, why do you automatically assume it will be shit?
His early games were on the MSX
MS/X(bone). The prophecies will come true!
NO...
but seriously, I just can't see him working with anyone other than Sony. It's just...
I can't even imagine it happening, I guess.
Maybe MS could offer him more money, but it still doesn't make sense to me for some reason.
Whatever happens, I just hope The Phantom Pain gets a wonderful PC port like Ground Zeroes did.
MS/X(bone). The prophecies will come true!
NO...
but seriously, I just can't see him working with anyone other than Sony. It's just...
I can't even imagine it happening, I guess.
Maybe MS could offer him more money, but it still doesn't make sense to me for some reason.
Whatever happens, I just hope The Phantom Pain gets a wonderful PC port like Ground Zeroes did.
LiquidSolid
Member
And you countered that "ridiculous" point by bringing up a bunch of franchises Microsoft wouldn't be able to use even if they wanted to. You sure showed me. Seriously though, if Quantum Break is the only example of Microsoft opting for a new IP over a sequel to a successful game, then how can you possibly say I'm flat out wrong? Seems more like an outlier than an example of a pattern in Microsoft's policies.
I never said Microsoft doesn't invest in new IP, by the way. Don't put words in my mouth.
Noooooo! A stealth game with Batman combat and stealth suit battery microtransactions?
Why is that though?
Not counting the mobile game..there has only been like 1 console hitman game released in past 8 years. I don't see how you can call that tired ip.
Well I care about his legacy more than the quantity of games he releases. Kojima's vision is unique. He set the high bar for himself. All his games are amazing. If he releases a new one it has to be better than the previous one. And no offense but Neil/Bruce couldn't hold a candle up to what Kojima and his crew accomplished over past decades. So I don't see why you are bringing up that comparison.
Nightengale
Member
Okay, then. We just have different opinions on stuff.
OrbitalBeard
Member
Nah, you're flat out wrong. Quantum Break, Scalebound, Ori and the Blind Forest. There's three. Lionhead also has a team working on a brand new, unannounced IP. There's four. Twisted Pixel is developing a new franchise as well. There's five.
Just let it go. Your comments about MS were completely false.
I guess it's as simple as I associate Kojima with Sony so much. For him not to go with them I'd imagine there would have to be some kind of disagreement like Sony wanting to keep the IP rights or whatever like what happened with Sunset. I don't see something like that happening, though.
If Kojima wanted to work with Sony, I think Sony would bend over backwards to make him happy.
Maybe I'm just being stupid, though. That happens a lot.
davepoobond
you can't put a price on sparks
most money AND freedom
I think Sony would probably be best, but honestly he could pretty much go to any publisher that would be willing to fund his games considering his track record.
Part of me would like to see him do a Kickstarter just to see how much cash he'd raise. I have a feeling he wouldn't want to be involved in the business side of things and I don't think his projects are well suited for crowd funding though.
Part of me would like to see him do a Kickstarter just to see how much cash he'd raise. I have a feeling he wouldn't want to be involved in the business side of things and I don't think his projects are well suited for crowd funding though.
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
Realistically, Sony. However I'd pay good money to watch all the meltdowns if he goes to Nintendo.
ForsakenLotus
Member
Uncharted 2 was one of the best games of last generation with almost universal critic and fan approval. If Bruce and Neil had decided that their legacy was set, then we wouldn't have gotten The Last of Us.
Quite frankly, this idea that Kojima should just stop producing games because he has a great legacy is unbelievably silly. Should he have stopped after Metal Gear Solid 2? 3? 4? What if The Phantom Pain comes out and is the best stealth game of all time?
But no, he made some great games so he should retire from the industry, right?
LiquidSolid
Member
What the fuck do Scalebound or Ori have to do with anything I've said? Stop bringing up completely irrelevant subjects and trying to move the goal posts, it's ridiculous.
OrbitalBeard
Member
Oh god.
ForsakenLotus
Member
What he is saying is that Microsoft, as a developer, tends to rely very heavily on established IP's - especially if they are big hits ala Halo, Forza, and Gears of War. Third Party studios don't discredit that notion, as the situation we are hypothesizing is Kojima creating a studio at Microsoft or heading an existing studio.
While there are examples of Microsoft creating new IP's, it's clear they lean very heavily on proven series. That's obvious. And I've heard and seen examples of Microsoft being very hands on/restrictive with their developers often enough to believe they at the very least don't offer the type of creative freedom Kojima could get at other big publishers, especially Sony.
The only thing Microsoft has going for it is money. I'd like to think that we as fans would want Kojima in a better situation so we can get better games, and I'd like to think Kojima wouldn't just take the biggest check regardless of the many obstacles he'd face there.
Point I'm making is his next game won't be Metal Gear if he leaves Konami. That introduces a risk of him making some mediocre game. Which I don't want to see happen. New ip's are an extreme risk in the current industry. Especially AAA games.
Again I don't see why you are bringing up the Naughty Dog comparison. That was all done in house among the same employees in the same company. People working on TLOU didn't have separate and form new employer, search for new talent and seek $. If Kojima leaves he won't have the foundation he had at Konami for the past 20+ years. The odds of him having the same exact type of success before (let alone surpassing it) is small.
ChosenPredator
Banned
whoever said Warner Bros is correct feel that is the best suited pub for him.
OrbitalBeard
Member
It's clear that Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo lean heavily on proven franchises. All three also invest in new IP. I'm repeating myself ad nauseam at this point. The individual I was discussing this topic with made the false claim that MS only allows its teams to work on the same franchises over and over. He is wrong.
This hyperbolic statement is factually incorrect. No amount of spin is going to change that.
Apparently, this is a debate that will never reach a reasonable conclusion, so with that, I am done discussing it. Back to the actual topic at hand, Hideo Kojima.
Brad Grenz
Member
You named four games. One that's out, another coming in 2016, a third that no one has ever seen running and a fourth that no one has even heard of yet. By contrast Sony has already published three new IPs this year. You are creating a false equivalence that distorts reality in a pretty severe manner.
OrbitalBeard
Member
And Microsoft has already published two new IP this year. That's not exactly a severe distortion of reality. Nintendo has also published two new IP in 2015 and are about to publish a third. Sony isn't the sole curator of new intellectual property.
Maneauleau
Member
If he wants to make money he should quit the console video game buisness.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
Preferably a first party and due to his relations and works Sony will probably be the best fit.
GuessMyUserName
Member
gamerforever
Banned
I think he will work for Sony exclusively or setup his own brand and be exclusive to sony - best outcome imo.
Four options I'm ok with:
Sony funds him to lead a team to make a game.
Nintendo funds him to lead a team to make a game.
He forms his own studio.
He makes a movie.
I would love for him to start his own Studio. If Nintendo was smart they would get him to make a showpiece title for the NX console.
Sony funds him to lead a team to make a game.
Nintendo funds him to lead a team to make a game.
He forms his own studio.
He makes a movie.
I would love for him to start his own Studio. If Nintendo was smart they would get him to make a showpiece title for the NX console.
LiquidSolid
Member
Of course it's hyperbolic but that didn't make your point a good one. I get that you were trying to defend Microsoft's new IP honour but it really didn't make any sense at all to bring up Bayonetta, Resistance or Crysis (a Sega IP, Sony IP and EA published IP) and they really didn't have anything to do with what I said.
As for my point, I already elaborated it in reply to Collingwood. I never said anything about Microsoft not making new IPs (they clearly do), my point was specifically about what company would be best for Kojima to end up at. So let's say Kojima created a huge new hit at Microsoft, does anyone seriously think Microsoft would let him take a break from it and develop a new IP? Fuck no, he'd be in the same situation Bungie were in, stuck making sequels until he quit, negotiated a way out or the franchise stopped selling. Epic were lucky they could just sell Gears to Microsoft for a shitload of money and tell them to go away.
ugh, I got a bad taste in my mouth when they said they were going to concentrate on Arkham Origins DLC and not continue to fix bugs.
I mean, I still bought Middle Earth and I will get Witcher 3, but still...ugh, bad taste.
ForsakenLotus
Member
You are just trying to play the semantics game, aren't you? Unfortunately I have to make a list to make my point - This isn't intended to start a list warz.
Here are, as best as I can find them, the internally developed new IP's for the Xbox 360.
Alan Wake
Crackdown
Forza
Kameo
Viva Pinata
Sony, on the other hand:
Demon's Souls
inFamous
LittleBigPlanet
MAG
MotorStorm
Puppeteer
The Last of Us
Uncharted
Starhawk (maybe doesn't count)
When it comes to retail, Sony isn't producing a staggering amount more new IP's than Microsoft. While Microsoft does have some XBL stuff, like Twisted Pixels games, I didn't list several PSN only games like Fat Princess, Rain, Tokyo Jungle, etc.
And while Microsoft has some big "2nd Party" new IP's like Gears of War and State of Decay, Sony has a ton like Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, Resistance, Journey, Flower, etc.
We almost must remember that Bungie left Microsoft because they wanted to make something other than Halo and Microsoft didn't oblige. Epic wanted to make something other than Gears of War, so they just sold the IP to Microsoft. Microsoft has turned Forza into a semi annual racer with another spinoff franchise also appearing every few years (there were even rumors of another spinoff franchise).
So, of course a publisher is going to rely most heavily on existing franchises. But it's pretty clear that Microsoft focuses very heavily on them, and generally relegate new exclusive IP's to either fringe XBL games or to fund a third party studio (I'm being generous here) to make one.
I really don't think you can argue than Microsoft doesn't focus more heavily on established IP's, and that Kojima would be much more likely to relive the Konami nightmare at Microsoft as oppose to Sony. Sony, for better or for worse, has proven they are much more willing to take risks with their IP's and give their studios much more creative freedom than Microsoft or Nintendo.
There can only be one answer.
Would absolutely love Kojima going to Square and bringing it back to glory. I have no interest in any JRPGS post PS2 and him having his own would definitely peak my interest.
Ideally, he would join Capcom and head the Resident Evil crew and save them from further butchering that franchise.
P.T-esque Resident Evil? I'm fucking in.
OrbitalBeard
Member
Sorry, I'm not interested in any console warrior, list wars bullshit. I'm a multiconsole owner who loves video games. I don't care if Sony has made more IP than MS, just like I don't care that Nintendo has made significantly more IP than both of them combined. What I do care about is the fact that all three continue to create new franchises.
ForsakenLotus
Member
This isn't console warrior, list wars bullshit. You were trying to defend Microsoft's propensity to make new IP's when it's well established that Microsoft doesn't often make new IP's and that the company instead focuses on established IP's. I'm not saying that's good or bad, smart or dumb. But in a thread asking what publisher would be the best fit for Kojima, choosing a studio like Microsoft who among other issues is willing to focus so much on existing IP's that it drives off Bungie and Epic (creators of their two most popular franchises), I think it's important to have a distinction between a company that does sometimes create new IP's despite having a more conservative approach, versus a company which fosters new IP's and is known for allowing developers creative freedom to the point where it's sometimes a fault.
OrbitalBeard
Member
Maybe you're not accusing me of this (I'm not sure) but I never said MS would be the best fit for Kojima. My opinion is whichever company willing to give Kojima the freedom to follow his creative vision would be the best choice for him. This entire conversation was fueled by an ignorant comment made by another poster and my admittedly extremely sarcastic response to his statement.
With that said, I apologize for responding to you in an aggressive manner. I just really hate console war BS but if that's not what you were doing, it's my mistake.
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