Do you remember Hideo Kojima's recent worldwide tour? The auteur picked up a lot of tips for the running of his own independent studio, and he's modelling it on Media Molecule. Speaking with Game Reactor, the veteran revealed all about the new Kojima Productions, which is working on a PlayStation 4 exclusive under the Sony umbrella.
"We aim to make a kind of small, intimate type of studio, and I felt like Media Molecule in London is quite similar to what I'm trying to make," he revealed. The legendary developer explained that he expects his team's size to be less than 100 people, and he wants to shun Japanese development culture, whereby men rule the workplace in a militaristic manner.
"At Media Molecule, it looks like the kitchen is the most important part," he said. "And there are many female people working, too." This is something that Kojima feels helps create a "very, very familiar feeling, and that is what I want to create". In other words, he wants his studio to feel like one big happy family. And who wouldn't after several decades under the iron grip of Konami?
[source gamereactor.eu]
Comments 9
Hire me, Kojima-san!
Sounds he really wants a break with Konami's allegedly alienating workplace.
Mad 'spect to MM right here
As it should be
Japanese companies are finally learning to change (for the better) though, especially at Nintendo and Square-Enix: More female devs, young 'n fresh teams, more positive and inviting offices and less slave labor
There have been quite a few releases from studios with at least 30% women & racial/sexual minorities selling really well and getting critically positive reactions. Animal Crossing New Leaf, Splatoon, The Last of Us, Life is Strange etc.
There is a different mindset: people with other experiences from other walks of life contributing to games really make a difference (compared to games made solely by straight white male devs or devs treated like crunch time slaves.)
@AyeHaley Nintendo hasn't learned anything. They have a guy who ran out of good ideas 20 years ago still helming most major projects. It's a bunch of old japanese men trying to run a games company, and it's going to blow up in their faces when NX bombs.
@Grawlog maybe, but the reality is Female workers have been discriminated against both in the workplace by fans and by their peers. I too believe that the best person for the role should get the job, but unfortunately that's not the case when people feel they are undervalued or not taken seriously because of their sex. Do you believe that a team of solely straight men in their 30s and 40s will make the best games for every audience?
Playing devils advocate here, but Media Molecule look like they are always smiling. They must be doing something right.
@Grawlog I was in the RN, sitting off with men all the time isn't good for the soul. You end up reading nuts magazine, talking about sex but not having any and farting out loud and laughing with everyone. That's what's going on at Konami.
If I owned a development company I'd run it like a sweat shop out of an old oil rig. The hours would be high, the pay low and the microtransactions plentiful.
@kyleforrester87 Ubisoft: Heavy breathing
@Totaldude911 nooooo we'd make much better games
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