Develop August 2016: Hideo Kojima, CD Projekt Red, life after Lionhead and more

The latest Develop magazine is landing on readers’ desks today, and is packed with industry icons, world-leading studios, and state-of-the-art tech.

First and foremost, we have a rare interview with the one and only Hideo Kojima, named as this year’s Development Legend in our very own Develop Awards. The father of Metal Gear looks back at his 30-year career, discusses his hopes for Death Stranding and talks about the inspirations behind the new Kojima Productions studio.

In fact, it’s an issue full of winners featuring an in-depth with the new Studio of the Year, CD Projekt Red, plus a round-up of all the victor’s and highlights from last month’s awards ceremony.

We also track down former Lionhead developers to find out what they’ve been up to since the studio was sadly closed earlier this year, and ask leading engine and tech firms what the next step from graphical fidelity in video games could be.

You can read the current issue on your browser or mobile device here. If you’re not already subscribed to Develop, you can sign up for as little as £35 to ensure you receive your monthly dose of development goodness year-round.

This issue will also be available on the show floors at GDC Europe and Gamescom.

Here’s a full overview of what to expect this month:

• Hideo Kojima: Fresh from his win at this year’s Develop Awards, the veteran designer discusses Death Stranding and his vision for the new Kojima Productions
• The rise of CD Projekt Red: We speak to our 2016 Studio of the Year to find out how their team and its practices have evolved with the completion of each best-selling Witcher title
• Life after Lionhead: Former Fable developers look back at the now-defunct studio and discuss the next step in their careers
• Recruitment experts consider how Brexit will affect studios’ ability to hire talent from across the Channel
• Crowd control: We grill with YouTubers and other influencers about how developers can improve the chance of getting their game noticed and covered
• Develop Awards 2016: A full round-up of the winners, including reactions from the victors and photo highlights from the night
• Visuals of the future: Leading engine and tech firms speculate on the future of video game visuals as VR and new home consoles rapidly approach
• Joost van Dreunen ponders the growing impact of YouTubers and Twitch steamers on raising the profile for new games
• Shahid Ahmad offers advice on how developers can work through any creative block
• The Producers: A panel of expert producers debate how their role has changed over the years, and which skills are required to keep teams on track
• Region Focus – Philippines: We explore the region’s growing development community and how local studios are raising their profile around the world
• The Develop Post-Mortem: The neverending story of Final Fantasy XIV
• We look at the making of the audio-generated Riff Racer
• Heard About: Supermassive Games’ VR debut, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
• Tutorial: How to implement Hybrid Frustum Traced Shadows in your game
• Our Jobs section covers the latest personnel news, and interviews Epic Games and EA Motive about their current recruitment drives
• We reveal the first wave of finalists for the eSports Industry Awards