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Kojima Productions

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Kojima Productions Co., Ltd.
Native name
株式会社コジマプロダクション
Kabushiki gaisha Kojima Purodakushon
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo games
FoundedDecember 16, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-12-16)
FounderHideo Kojima
Headquarters
Shinagawa, Tokyo
,
Japan
Key people
Number of employees
~80[1] (2019)
DivisionsKojima Productions Amsterdam[2]
Websitekojimaproductions.jp

Kojima Productions Co., Ltd.[a] is a Japanese video game development studio founded in 2015 by Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series.[3] It is the spiritual successor to a production team inside Konami also known as Kojima Productions originally founded in 2005. The independent Kojima Productions has a slightly altered Japanese name[b] and is based in Shinagawa, Tokyo.[4][5]

History

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Background

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The company was formed as a subsidiary of Konami in April 2005, after the merger of several subsidiaries including Kojima's group at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan.[6] The name of the team followed Konami's naming style used between 2004 and 2015. Other production teams include Pawapuro Production [ja], BEMANI Production [ja], Virtual Kiss Production [ja] and Loveplus Production [ja]. The team had around 100 employees, but grew to over 200 for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.[7][8] Kojima said the merger relieved him of business management and administrative burdens he had as Konami's vice president, and that as head of Kojima Productions he could focus on making games.[6] While having a position on the Konami board, Kojima wanted to persuade the staff and invest the company in his idea.[9] As well as developing Metal Gear titles, Kojima Productions developed the Fox Engine.

In March 2013, the company established Kojima Productions Los Angeles, the secondary studio in Playa Vista, Los Angeles.[10] However, the studio was closed down as part of Konami's plan to restructure the company in 2015.[11]

On March 16, 2015, Konami announced that it had restructured the game development operations to change the production structure to a headquarters-controlled system, "in order to establish a steadfast operating base capable of responding to the rapid market changes that surround our digital entertainment business". The Kojima Productions branding was quietly removed from company websites and buildings. A few days later, an anonymous Konami employee stated that Kojima and the studio's senior staff had planned to leave Konami in December 2015 following the conclusion of their contracts and the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.[12] Konami denied that Kojima was leaving the company and stated that he would still be involved with the company and the Metal Gear franchise.[13][14] Kojima affirmed that he was still "100% involved" in The Phantom Pain and was determined to make it the greatest game he could.[15] In December 2015, the production team was nominated for Developer of the Year at The Game Awards 2015, but lost to CD Projekt Red.[16] Kojima was reportedly blocked from attending the event by Konami's lawyers, requiring Big Boss's actor Kiefer Sutherland to accept the awards for The Phantom Pain on his behalf.[17]

Independent studio

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Kenichiro Imaizumi, Yumi Kikuchi and Kojima in 2007

On December 16, 2015, in a joint announcement with Sony Computer Entertainment, Kojima announced that he would start an independent studio—also named Kojima Productions—alongside Yoji Shinkawa and Kenichiro Imaizumi.[18][19][20] The studio announced that it would develop a new franchise for PlayStation 4.[21] Kojima stated that he "will be taking on a new challenge by establishing my own independent studio, and I am thrilled to be able to embark on this journey with PlayStation, who I have continued to work with all these past years".[22] In contrast to most Japanese development studios, which he likened to "armies" due to strict hierarchy and the lack of respect given to employees, Kojima sought to establish "an intimate kind of studio" that "feel[s] like it's family".[23] Kojima visited Media Molecule and cited it as an inspiration.[24] He was impressed by its work culture, particularly its number of female employees and relaxed atmosphere.[23][25][26] He set a limit of one hundred employees for the studio, similar to Media Molecule.[27] In 2016, the studio opened a small division in Amsterdam, near Guerrilla Games, who developed the Decima game engine that Kojima is using.[2]

At E3 2016, Kojima unveiled a trailer to Death Stranding during Sony's pre-E3 conference.[28][29] It was released by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2019, and a PC version was released by 505 Games on Windows in July 2020. Imaizumi left the company in 2019.[30] In April 2020, the office was temporarily closed after an employee contracted COVID-19.[31]

In October 2020, it was confirmed that the company is working on the next game in development.[32] On June 12, 2022, during Microsoft's digital presentation, Kojima announced that it had partnered with Xbox Game Studios to make a game featuring a "never before-seen concept" and leveraging Microsoft's "cutting-edge cloud technology".[33] Kojima and Jordan Peele appeared at The Game Awards 2023, while revealing the game OD.[34]

At The Game Awards 2022, Kojima officially announced a sequel to Death Stranding.[35] A second trailer was shown during a State of Play presentation by Sony on January 31, 2024, confirming its subtitle, On The Beach, and a release window of 2025.[36] That same day, Kojima announced a new game with the working title Physint, in collaboration with Columbia Pictures. Described as both the film and game, it is scheduled to enter full development after working on Death Stranding 2.[37] In November 2024, Kojima Productions announced that they had reclaimed the intellectual property rights to Death Stranding from Sony Interactive Entertainment, and had planned to bring the game to additional platforms, coinciding with the immediate launch of Director's Cut on Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Store for Windows, and the Amazon Luna cloud gaming service.[38][39]

Film production

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In November 2019, Kojima Productions announced their plans to make films.[40] Two years later, in November 2021, the studio announced that it would open a new business division for films and television series in Los Angeles.[41] In December 2022, it was announced that Kojima Productions was partnering with Hammerstone Studios to produce a film based on Death Stranding, with Hammerstone providing funding.[42] It was also announced that the film was in development under A24.[43]

Games

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See also: Works by Hideo Kojima
Year Title Platform(s) Publisher(s) Ref.
2019 Death Stranding PlayStation 4, Windows, PlayStation 5, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, Xbox Series X/S, Amazon Luna Sony Interactive Entertainment, 505 Games
2025 Death Stranding 2: On The Beach PlayStation 5 Sony Interactive Entertainment [44][45]
TBA OD TBA Xbox Game Studios [46]
Physint (working title) Sony Interactive Entertainment; co-production with Columbia Pictures [37]

Filmography

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Year Title Notes Ref.
2024 Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds Documentary; co-production with PlayStation Studios and Filmworks; distributed by Disney+ [47]
TBA Untitled Death Stranding film Co-production with Hammerstone Studios and A24 [43]

Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: 株式会社コジマプロダクション, Hepburn: Kabushiki gaisha Kojima Purodakushon
  2. ^ Although both names translate to Kojima Productions in English, the Konami production team was named 小島プロダクション (with Kojima written in kanji) while the independent company is named コジマプロダクション (with Kojima written in katakana).

References

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  1. ^ Brown, Peter (September 17, 2019). "Hideo Kojima Says It's His Destiny To Take Risks And Create New Games". GameSpot. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Death Stranding Uses Guerrilla's Decima Engine; Kojima Setting Up Satellite Studio In Amsterdam". WCCF Tech. December 5, 2016.
  3. ^ Karlin, David (September 28, 2005). "Hideo Kojima Blogs About Life, Metal Gear". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  4. ^ Sliva, Marty (January 25, 2017). "Hideo Kojima, Death Stranding, and Building the Studio". IGN. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  5. ^ Hansen, Steven (December 16, 2015). "Metal Gear creator starts Kojima Productions to work on PS4 exclusive". Destructoid. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Hideo Kojima Exclusive Q&A". GameSpot. May 20, 2005. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
  7. ^ Blevins, Tal (August 19, 2005). "GC 2005: Hideo Kojima Interview". IGN. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
  8. ^ Nutt, Christian (October 15, 2007). "Infiltrating Kojima Productions: Ryan Payton Talks Metal Gear Solid 4". Gamasutra. p. 5. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2008.
  9. ^ Doree, Adam (August 24, 2008). "Hideo Kojima: The Kikizo Interview 2008". Kikizo. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
  10. ^ "Kojima Productions L.A. Building campus in Playa Vista, the 'Red Fox' to Tokyo studio". Polygon. March 27, 2013.
  11. ^ "What it was like working at Kojima Productions Los Angeles". Polygon. October 30, 2019.
  12. ^ Brown, Peter; Crossley, Rob (March 20, 2015). "Kojima Expected to Leave Konami After MGS5, Inside Source Confirms". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  13. ^ Megan, Farokhmanesh (March 19, 2015). "Konami removes Kojima name from Metal Gear games, Kojima rumored to leave (update)". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  14. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (March 20, 2015). "Konami announces plan for brand new Metal Gear series". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  15. ^ McWhertor, Michael (March 20, 2015). "Hideo Kojima says he's still '100 percent involved' in completing Metal Gear Solid 5". Polygon. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  16. ^ "Nominees | The Game Awards 2015". The Game Awards. Ola Balola. November 12, 2015. Archived from the original on November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  17. ^ Tach, Dave (December 3, 2015). "Konami prevented Kojima from attending The Game Awards, host says". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  18. ^ Dyer, Mitch (December 16, 2015). "Hideo Kojima Talks New Studio, 'Edgy' PlayStation Game, and the Future". IGN. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  19. ^ Tucker, Jake (December 16, 2016). "Shinji Hirano named as new President of Kojima Productions". MCV/Develop.
  20. ^ Dennison, Kara (January 16, 2017). "Former Konami Staffers Follow Hideo Kojima to His New Company". Crunchyroll. Otter Media. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019.
  21. ^ "Sony Computer Entertainment Enters Into An Agreement with Kojima Productions" (Press release). Sony Computer Entertainment. December 16, 2015. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  22. ^ McWhertor, Michael (December 16, 2015). "Hideo Kojima confirms departure from Konami, forms new studio and partnership with Sony". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  23. ^ a b "Kojima's new studio inspired by Media Molecule". MCV/Develop. Biz Media. May 24, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  24. ^ "Hideo Kojima Tries PlayStation VR, Visits LittleBigPlanet Dev Media Molecule". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. January 25, 2016. Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  25. ^ Holmes, Mike (May 23, 2016). "Kojima on why he's modelling his studio on Media Molecule". Gamereactor. Gamez Publishing A/S. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  26. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (February 19, 2016). "DICE 2016: Why Kojima Hopes to Keep His New Studio Small". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  27. ^ "Kojima's new studio is modeled on Media Molecule and won't go over 100 employees". PCGamesN. Network N. May 24, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  28. ^ McWhertor, Michael (June 15, 2016). "Death Stranding's teaser probably won't be playable, Hideo Kojima says". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019.
  29. ^ O'Connor, Alice (June 14, 2016). "Kojima Productions Announce Death Stranding". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  30. ^ Gera, Emily (May 17, 2020). "Metal Gear Solid veteran Ken-Ichiro Imaizumi joins Tencent a year after leaving Kojima Productions". VG247. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020.
  31. ^ Carreau, Glenn (March 30, 2020). "Kojima Productions Employee Tests Positive for Coronavirus". Game Rant. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020.
  32. ^ Gurwin, Gabe (October 22, 2020). "Kojima Productions Has Started Its Next Game, And It's Hiring". GameSpot.
  33. ^ McWhertor, Michael (June 12, 2022). "Hideo Kojima is working on a new Xbox game". Polygon. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  34. ^ Makuch, Eddie (December 8, 2023). "Hideo Kojima Announces New Xbox Game OD In Collaboration With Jordan Peele". GameSpot. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  35. ^ "First trailer for Death Stranding 2 shows Norman Reedus return". Digital Spy. December 10, 2022. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  36. ^ Bailey, Kat (January 31, 2024). "Death Stranding 2 Story and Gameplay Revealed in Extended Trailer, Releasing in 2025 - State of Play 2024". IGN. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  37. ^ a b Shepard, Kennth (January 31, 2024). "Kojima's New Game Physint Is A Return To The Espionage Genre". Kotaku. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  38. ^ Croft, Liam (November 7, 2024). "Death Stranding Gets a Surprise Xbox Series X|S Port, Out Now". Push Square. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  39. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (November 7, 2024). "Death Stranding Surprise-Launches on Xbox Series X and S as Kojima Productions Takes Control of the IP". IGN. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  40. ^ Purslow, Matt (November 4, 2019). "Kojima Productions Plans to Make Films in the Future". IGN. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  41. ^ Makuch, Eddie (November 22, 2021). "Kojima Productions Opens A Film And TV Business". GameSpot. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  42. ^ Grobar, Matt (December 15, 2022). "'Death Stranding' Film Based On Hit Video Game In Works From 'Barbarian' EP Alex Lebovici's Hammerstone Studios, Kojima Productions". Deadline. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  43. ^ a b Leston, Ryan (December 14, 2023). "Death Stranding Movie Coming From A24, Kojima Productions". IGN. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  44. ^ Makuch, Eddie; Bonthuys, Darryn (December 8, 2022). "Death Stranding 2 Officially Announced". GameSpot. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  45. ^ Fenlon, Wes (January 31, 2024). "Death Stranding 2: On the Beach isn't coming until 2025". PC Gamer. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  46. ^ "Microsoft and Kojima Productions announce partnership for new title". Gematsu. June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  47. ^ Takahashi, Dean (December 12, 2023). "Disney+ will distribute Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds documentary on Death Stranding". VentureBeat. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
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