Apparently, Hideo Kojima was not pleased with Giant Bomb's pick for Game of the Year. In an interview with Famitsu, the man behind the Metal Gear series says that he is drastically retooling the way Kojima Productions will operate in 2009. Kojima has the following to say:
"We're currently reviewing everything - from the team structure to tools and our staff - in order to make Kojima Productions a team that can challenge foreign creators and software houses..."
"...you've got to use cutting-edge techniques, and doing so costs money - so I don't think you can make games that just appeal to the Japanese market."
I'm not exactly sure what makes a game Western these days, though I do know that if you have a crying turnip in your game, odds are you're Japanese. Will Solid Snake be swapping exposition for eviscerations? Do more explosions and more blood equal more sales? I really liked Metal Gear Solid 4, so I'm not sure what I'd change to make it "more appealing."
Kojima sums up his sentiments with the following:
"I've thought a lot about how Western games have been winning, looking it [sic] from a global perspective, and there are things that I've noticed. So 2009 will be a year of change, a year where we start from zero again."
Here's my completely invented interpretation of what that means. Starting from zero again? Look for a Metal Gear remake in 2009 on XBLA. Yeah? Probably not. What do you guys think?
Check out Develop for the complete translation of the interview.