Kojima Productions

Kojima Productions Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game development studio originally founded in 2005 by video game designer 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. The team had around 100 employees, but grew to over 200 for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.[4][5] After leaving Konami, Kojima founded an independent studio with a slightly altered Japanese name[lower-alpha 1] in Shinagawa.[6][7]

Kojima Productions Co., Ltd.
Native name
株式会社コジマプロダクション
Kabushiki gaisha Kojima Purodakushon
TypePrivate
IndustryVideo games
FoundedApril 2005 (2005-04) (original)
December 16, 2015 (2015-12-16) (relaunch)
FounderHideo Kojima
DefunctMarch 16, 2015 (March 16, 2015) (original)
Headquarters
Shinagawa, Tokyo
,
Japan
Key people
Number of employees
~80[1] (2019)
ParentKonami (2005–2015)
DivisionsKojima Productions Amsterdam[2]
Websitekojimaproductions.jp

History

Formation

The production team was formed in April 2005, after Konami merged several subsidiaries including Kojima's group at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan.[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.[8] 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]

The name of the team follows Konami's "<> production(s)" naming style used between 2004 and 2015. Other production teams include Pawapuro Production, BEMANI Production, Virtual Kiss Production and Loveplus Production alongside others.

Closure

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". 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 The Phantom Pain.[10] Konami denied that Kojima was leaving the company and stated that he would still be involved with the company and the Metal Gear franchise.[11][12] Kojima affirmed that he was still "100% involved" in The Phantom Pain and was determined to make it the greatest game he could.[13] In December 2015, the production team was nominated for Developer of the Year at The Game Awards 2015, but lost to CD Projekt Red.[14] 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.[15]

Independent reformation

On December 16, 2015, in a joint announcement with Sony Computer Entertainment, Kojima announced that he would start an independent studio, alongside Yoji Shinkawa and Kenichiro Imaizumi.[16][17][18] The studio announced that it would develop a new franchise for PlayStation 4.[19] 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".[20] At E3 2016, Kojima unveiled a trailer to Death Stranding during Sony's pre-E3 conference.[21][22] It was released by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2019, and a PC version was released by 505 Games on Windows in July 2020. In November 2019, the studio announced their plans to make films.[23]

Kenichiro Imaizumi, Yumi Kikuchi and Hideo Kojima in 2007

Kojima modeled the philosophy of Media Molecule when reforming the studio.[24][25] After visiting the company in 2016, he simultaneously modeled his own, wanting "a small, intimate type of studio".[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] Kojima praised their high number of female employees and relaxed atmosphere, which he compared to that of a family.[25][28][31][32] He set a limit of one hundred employees for the studio, similar to Media Molecule.[24][25][26][30][33]

Imaizumi left the company in 2019.[34] In April 2020, the office was temporarily closed after an employee contracted COVID-19.[35]

In October 2020, it was confirmed the company is working on the next game in development.[36]

In November 2021, it was announced that it would open a new business division for films and television series in Los Angeles.[37]

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".[38]

In December 2022, it was announced that Kojima Productions will produce a film based on Death Stranding with Hammerstone Studios.[39]

Games
See also: Works by Hideo Kojima

Though Kojima had been working on games at Konami, the production team was not officially formed until 2005. However, Konami retroactively referred to his past games as belonging to the studio.[40] His games for Konami were released until 2015.

Pre-KCEJ/Kojima Productions
Year Title Platform(s) Notes
1987 Metal Gear MSX2 Released only in Japan and Europe. Ported to the NES by a separate team after its initial release.
1988 Snatcher PC-8801, MSX2
1990 SD Snatcher MSX2
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
1992 Snatcher CD-ROMantic PC Engine Remake of the original Snatcher with an expanded ending and added voice acting. Ported to the Sega CD by another team for the overseas market in 1994. A set of 32-bit ports for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn were released in Japan in 1996, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo.
1994 Policenauts PC-9821 Released only in Japan.
1995 3DO
1996 PlayStation, Sega Saturn

Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (KCEJ)
Year Title Platform(s) Notes
1997 Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series Vol. 1: Nijiiro no Seisyun PlayStation, Sega Saturn A series of adventure game spinoffs to the Tokimeki Memorial dating sim developed on the Policenauts engine.
1998 Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series Vol. 2: Irodori no Lovesong
Metal Gear Solid PlayStation First Kojima game to be developed under the Konami Computer Entertainment Japan subsidiary
1999 Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series Vol. 3: Tabidachi no Uta PlayStation, Sega Saturn
Metal Gear Solid: Integral PlayStation Expanded version of the original Metal Gear Solid featuring a third disc of bonus missions. The third disc was released by itself as Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions in North America and as Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions in the PAL region. Windows version developed by Digital Dialect.
2000 Windows
Metal Gear: Ghost Babel Game Boy Color
2001 Zone of the Enders PlayStation 2
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
2002 The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance Xbox, PlayStation 2 Expanded version of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Windows version developed by Success.
2003 Windows
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner PlayStation 2
Boktai Game Boy Advance
2004 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes GameCube Remake of the first Metal Gear Solid developed in collaboration with Silicon Knights
Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django Game Boy Advance
Metal Gear Acid PlayStation Portable
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater PlayStation 2

Kojima Productions (Konami production team)
Year Title Platform(s) Notes
2005 Shin Bokura no Taiyō: Gyakushu no Sabata Game Boy Advance Third game in the Boktai series released only in Japan. Also known as Boktai 3: Sabata's Counterattack.
Metal Gear Acid 2 PlayStation Portable
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence PlayStation 2 Expanded version of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
2006 Kabushiki Baibai Trainer Kabutore Nintendo DS
Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel PlayStation Portable
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
2007 Lunar Knights Nintendo DS Fourth game in the Boktai series, which was retitled for its overseas release
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus PlayStation Portable
2008 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PlayStation 3
Metal Gear Online
2009 Gaitame Baibai Trainer: Kabutore FX Nintendo DS
Metal Gear Solid Touch iOS
2010 Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker PlayStation Portable
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Collaboration with MercurySteam
2011 Metal Gear Solid HD Collection PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 HD conversions of MGS2, MGS3 and Peace Walker. The Vita versions only includes MGS2 and MGS3. In Japan, Peace Walker was given a separate retail release for PS3 and Xbox 360.
2012 PlayStation Vita
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D Nintendo 3DS
Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops Mobile
Zone of the Enders HD Collection PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2013 Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Collaboration with PlatinumGames
Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection PlayStation 3 Compilation that includes all the titles in the HD Collection, plus MGS4 and a voucher code for the original MGS and its expansion
2014 Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
P.T. PlayStation 4 "Playable teaser" for the cancelled Silent Hills; credited under the pseudonym "7780s Studio"
2015 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Kojima Productions (independent studio)
Year Title Platform(s) Notes
2019 Death Stranding PlayStation 4, Windows, PlayStation 5, macOS First game to not be affiliated with Konami; published on PS4 in 2019 by Sony Interactive Entertainment and on PC in 2020 by 505 Games. A Director's Cut version was released in 2021 for PS5 and in 2022 for PC.
TBA Death Stranding 2 (working title)[41][42] PlayStation 5
TBA Untitled Xbox Game Studios game[43] TBA

Filmography
Year Title Notes
TBA Untitled Death Stranding film Co-production with Hammerstone Studios

Notes
  1. 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 the independent company コジマプロダクション.

References
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