Kojima says episodic content could solve next-gen challenges

Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima believes the arrival of next-generation consoles will present various difficulties for developers. To combat these challenges, the industry veteran explained to Edge that developers could release TV-style "pilots" to see if gamers are interested before moving forward.

"It's possible to make many things more realistic, but that doesn't mean you should," Kojima said. "You have to prioritize, and that is what's going to separate the teams that succeed from the teams that don't. [But] I think there's a different way of tackling this problem: something similar to a TV series, where you can use pilot episodes to test the waters before you jump completely into the project."

Kojima explained that these pilot episodes could be delivered through digital channels, allowing consumers to try a game out while production on the overall title continues. He estimated development on a new pilot could be completed in a year.

"I think there will be a social aspect to game creation, because it will be more interactive," Kojima said. "You'll get user feedback, and I think there will be this back-and-forth between users and creators."

Kojima is not the first to speak of episodic content as a component of next-generation game development. Sony president of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida revealed last month at the PlayStation 4 unveiling that the platform will support episodic content and free-to-play games, though he did not go into any greater depth.

Episodic game development is a method chosen by few in the industry, though for some it has been a success. TellTale Games created numerous episodic adventure games for the PC before breaking through with last year's The Walking Dead, which was well received and has sold 8.5 million episodes to date.