Kojima Productions - Hideo Kojima
Hideo Kojima joined Konami in 1986 he started his career as Assistant director for Penguin Adventure MSX, later as a game designer to work on a military themed game (Lost Warld) - a popular genre at the time for the MSX2 console. It was very difficult to create an action game where characters exchange gunfire, considering the modest specifications of the console. To accomplish this type of game, Kojima had the idea of a lead character who infiltrates the enemy base using stealth tactics-rather than eliminating all enemies - a concept that took his game in a completely different direction. This concept became the tactical espionage action game Metal Gear, the first game Hideo Kojima directed. The game was instantly recognized for its innovative gameplay style, exciting storyline and well developed characters. Kojima followed this success with the release of several titles, including:
Snatcher 1988 PC88 & MSX2
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake 1990 MSX2
Policenauts 1994 PC9821
His games, with their unique gameplay and meticulous detail in which the game world was represented, gathered a large fan base. It was at this time that Kojima and the 5th development team that he was leading became known as the "Kojima Gumi" ("Gumi" means "group" in old fashioned Japanese and is often used to refer to film production teams); renowned for the quality and innovative nature of the games they were creating.
1996 saw the establishment of Konami Computer Entertainment Japan Inc. KCEJ had an aim to produce software that would sell all over the globe. With this in mind, Hideo Kojima was made Vice President of the company, and with his 5th development team at its core, KCEJ began with about 20 team members. The first game project Hideo Kojima took on in this new company was to revisit his premiere production, Metal Gear and recreate the game in a 3D environment. The game was to be called Metal Gear Solid PSone.
In 1998, Metal Gear Solid was finally released and was a huge hit, selling over 7.5 million units worldwide. In a period of two years, the "Kojima Gumi" had gone global.
In 2001 a sequel was announced - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty PS2. The new title boasted a game system far more refined than the previous release.Centered on a compelling story with breathtakingly vivid cut scenes, MGS2 became an even bigger hit than its predecessor. In the same year, Kojima also produced Zone of the Enders Z.O.E (2001 PS2), an exhilarating robot action game that paid homage to robot anime. This game and its sequel - Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (Anubis : Zone of the Enders) (2003 PS2), with its amazing graphics and dynamic impact, were critically acclaimed around the world.
In 2003, a revolutionary action game Boktai GBA was announced, which required the presence of sunlight to eliminate hordes of vampires. This new gaming system, which incorporated real-world weather into the game via a solar chip on the game cartridge, was well received. The sequel, Boktai 2 ( 2004 GBA) followed in the same vein and the series continues to grow and develop.
2004 saw the much-anticipated release of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater PS2. The game's unique combination of survival, innovative new game system, 1960's setting, the profound and moving storyline, and the minute attention to detail of the jungle environment again marked the high quality Kojima is so well known for. The game was been heralded as the "Series Masterpiece." The themes running through the three games of the "MGS" series, coupled with the storyline that combined "Meme," "Gene," and "Scene" were to be handed over to developers working on the next generation of game consoles.
In 2005, Hideo Kojima formed "Kojima Productions" and shocked the world with a MGS3 Spoof that revealed that Kojima was back onboard to create the final installment Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS3, the expected extension to MGS3 Subsistence PS2 & Ac!d² PSP.
In 2006 Konami revealed 2 special fan games Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel PSP & Metal Gear Saga Vol 1 DVD, which was a bonus with Subsistence. Portable Ops PSP a proper SOLID title was released featuring an MGO for online play and the 4th installment in the Boktai saga Lunar Knights DS have been released.
Kojima Productions are currently working on Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS3 & Metal Gear Solid 2: Digital Graphic Novel PSP.
