Hideo Kojima Wants His New Game to Be a Series and Expanded into Anime, Manga, Toys

Hideo Kojima has said he wants his next project, which is being developed by his new independent studio Kojima Productions, to have an impact big enough to spawn a universe that can be explored outside of video games.

In an interview with Kojima conducted at DICE, the Metal Gear creator was asked if he was cautious about making another game that could potentially turn into a series. The legendary Japanese developer released his first Metal Gear title in 1987 and has worked on the series up until 2015's Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

"For this, with Sony, we are working on a project that will be a new IP," he said. "Of course, and I have no idea if it’s going to be a series or not, but I want to make something that will have a big enough impact to become a series."

He continued: "By impact, I mean from the things that are unique to the game, the characters, and the world. This impact can lead into something outside of games, such as anime, manga, figures; something that is rich enough to expand."

After leaving Konami, Kojima announced he was partnering with Sony to release his next game as a PlayStation 4 console exclusive. The game, which still has not been officially unveiled or detailed, will also be released on PC.

This announcement followed months of speculation about Kojima's status with his ex-employer Konami. In November 2015, it was reported that he had left the company, but Konami denied the claims, saying he was instead on vacation.

Journalist and presenter Geoff Keighley later revealed at The Game Awards that lawyers prevented Kojima from attending The Game Awards in 2015, where The Phantom Pain won Best Score/Soundtrack and Best Action/Adventure game.

Read the full interview with Kojima, in which he discusses forging a new era of game development for himself, here.