Kojima seeks greater legacy

Hideo Kojima wants his legacy to consist of more than just Metal Gear.

The series creator is known for little beyond the Metal Gear franchise, but if he had his way he would have a far wider mark in the industry.

"I’ll admit that I hope my future endeavors are thought of as ‘works by Hideo Kojima’ rather than ‘from the creator of Metal Gear,” Kojima told EGM.

At the helm of a brand new studio, he may be ideally placed to begin making that dream a reality.

“I haven’t really shown the world what else I might be capable of yet," he said.

"This may sound pretentious, but I don’t like being thought of as ‘the Metal Gear guy.’ There’s a lot more I can do.”

While the Metal Gear series is by no means a bad place to be, the developer admitted his interest in working on more original ideas.

“I’m often misinterpreted,” said Kojima.

“I’ve always said that I want to work on original properties, but Metal Gear offers plenty of benefits. The Fox Engine, for example, took a lot of time and money; we were only able to develop it because it was intended for the next Metal Gear.

"In the next game, I’m introducing concepts intended for entirely new intellectual properties using the Metal Gear brand.”

Konami and other publishers have frequently used established brands as a way of introducing new mechanics and concepts while minimising risk.

For the individual developer though, inspiration can be drawn from rival franchises just as easily.

“Grand Theft Auto III came out the same year as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and it seemed the thought processes behind the two games were completely different," Kojima explained.

"It was beyond game design; the area a player could explore was so vast that not even the game designer could predict all possible outcomes. That title definitely opened my eyes.”