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
Background
The original Kojima Productions was formed as a division within 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] alongside others. 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 KCEJ's vice president, and that as head of Kojima Productions he could focus on creating games.[6] According to Kojima, while he now held a position on the Konami board, he still had to persuade staff to invest in his game ideas.[9] As well as developing Metal Gear titles, Kojima Productions developed the Fox Engine.
On March 2013, Kojima Productions announced the establishment of a secondary studios in Los Angeles known as Kojima Productions Los Angeles, which was located in Playa Vista.[10] By 2015, the LA studio was closed down as part of Konami's plan to restructure the company.[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
Kenichiro Imaizumi, Yumi Kikuchi and Hideo 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 cited the British game studio Media Molecule as an inspiration, which he had visited in 2016[24] and 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 Guerilla Games, who developed the Decima game engine that Kojima uses.[2]
In October 2020, it was confirmed 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 develop a new game featuring a "never before-seen concept" and leveraging Microsoft's "cutting-edge cloud technology".[33] At The Game Awards 2023, Kojima revealed the new game, OD. It was also revealed that Jordan Peele is working with Kojima on the game.[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] Also during the presentation, Kojima announced a new game with the working titlePhysint, in collaboration with Sony's Columbia Pictures. Described as both a game and movie, it is scheduled to enter full development after Death Stranding 2's release.[37]
Film production
In November 2019, Kojima Productions announced their plans to make films.[38] 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.[39] 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.[40] The following December, it was announced that the film was in development under A24.[41]
^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).
