Legendary game designer Hideo Kojima gives peek at extravagant Tokyo studio

By Danny Cowan Published January 26, 2017

Veteran game designer Hideo Kojima gave a rare glimpse at his new Kojima Productions office in Tokyo this week, revealing that the studio features a massive motion-capture setup in addition to several large open workspaces for his employees.

Kojima and crew will use the space to develop Death Stranding for the PlayStation 4, along with future projects that require in-depth motion-capture technology.

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Kojima was previously employed at Japanese game publisher Konami, where he directed and produced multiple entries in the Metal Gear series. As production ramped up on Metal Gear Solid 5, Kojima’s team released PT, a playable demo version of a planned sequel in Konami’s Silent Hill franchise.

Kojima’s relationship with Konami soured as Metal Gear Solid 5‘s production costs ballooned, however, leading to PT‘s cancellation. Kojima left the company soon after, ending a 29-year tenure.

After his split with Konami, Kojima began assembling staff and office space for his independent studio. While little is known about Kojima’s current project, Death Stranding, the game will feature the physical likenesses of actors Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen, which were captured using technology similar to the motion-capture setup at Kojima Productions’ Tokyo headquarters.

A series of photos released this week reveal that the Kojima Productions studio features an elaborate kitchen and large meeting rooms to accommodate extended game design discussion. Hallways feature framed posters and promotional material from Kojima’s current and past projects.

The photos also reveal a strange white-walled theater featuring a single ceiling-mounted projector, likely for showcase events. The room is starkly lit, and glass cases along its walls contain sculptures and awards from throughout Kojima’s career.

The office’s mo-cap studio has drawn a significant amount of attention since it was first unveiled, leaving gamers worldwide curious as to the creative possibilities it affords. Kojima and his team will demonstrate its capabilities when Death Stranding launches for the PlayStation 4, though a release date is not yet known.

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Gaming

One of Game Pass’ best titles leaves PC on August 15 and you don’t want to miss it

Sam Porter Bridges and Fragile holding their foreheads together.

While Xbox Game Pass frequently adds new games to its library, some titles do leave the service every fifteen days. Sometimes, those games are fantastic and PC Game Pass will lose a heavy hitter on August 15: Death Stranding. If you aren't familiar with this game, it, ironically, is a PlayStation console exclusive that's part of Microsoft's subscription service only on PC. Death Stranding first released on PS4 in November 2019 and tells a story about a man who is trying to reconnect a post-apocalyptic while dealing with lots of supernatural threats along the way.

It didn't come to PC until July 2020, before that was followed by Death Stranding: Director's Cut for PC and PS5 in the following years. The version of the game that's available through Xbox Game Pass is based on the July 2020 PC release, although it only came to PC Game Pass in August 2022. After a year on Microsoft's subscription service, the deal is up, and it's going to leave on August 15. Death Stranding is a game with a very compelling and socially relevant story and gameplay not quite like anything out there, so Game Pass subscribers who haven't tried this game yet need to before it leaves the service soon.
It's all connected
Death Stranding follows the journey of Sam Porter Bridges, the adopted son of the President of the United Cities of America, as he attempts to reconnect what's left of America with a Chiral Network and save his sister. Of course, this game has Kojima's signature eccentricity, as Sam also carries around and starts forming a deeper connection with a baby in a pod (called a BB) that helps him avoid deadly creatures called BTs and gives him visions of a mysterious figure played by Mads Mikkelsen. On that note, Death Stranding has a stacked Hollywood cast as it stars people like Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux, and Margaret Qualley and features characters modeled after Lindsay Wagner, Guillermo del Toro, Nicolas Winding Refn, and more.
I'm not a huge fan of this game's melodramatic dialogue exchanges and arduous pacing that leaves a lot of the most interesting reveals for the end. Still, it undeniably has some prescient themes about how important connection is, something that became even more apparent and relevant in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Few video game writers can craft narratives that are as engaging and memorable as the ones in Hideo Kojima's games. Though what I like most about Death Stranding is its gameplay, which isn't quite like anything that came out before or since.
For the most part, Death Stranding is a game about delivering packages. It initially seemed like a shocking change in style for the man behind the Metal Gear Solid series, but the connections become a bit clearer to me as I had to stealthily avoid BTs and saw the Metal Gear Solid V-level of freedom the game gives players in making deliveries. To maximize profits from deliveries, I have to balance all of the packages in Sam's possession, keeping a close eye on the terrain, and finding the best ways to get Sam to his destination without damaging much of the goods he's carrying.

Gaming

Macs are getting a ‘Game Mode’ feature and Death Stranding: Director’s Cut

Sam Bridges gives a peace sign in Death Stranding: Director's Cut.

Death Stranding: Director's Cut is coming to Mac, Hideo Kojima announced today during WWDC 23. The news came amid a brief gaming section during Apple's annual showcase, which also introduced a new Game Mode for Macs.

During WWDC's gaming block, Apple highlighted how the likes of No Man's Sky and Stray have made their way to Mac before announcing a dedicated Game Mode for Mac that prioritizes the CPU and GPU and minimizes latency on Xbox and PlayStation controllers. Apple also announced the Game Porting Toolkit for Metal, which should make it easier for game developers to bring their games to Mac.
After all that, Apple introduced Kojima, who said he's been an Apple fan since he bought a Mac in 1994 and confirmed that Death Stranding: Director's Cut is coming to Mac. This enhanced version of Kojima's 2019 hit was previously released for PS5 and Windows, with new missions, features like a firing range and racing, and more.
The Mac version of the game will benefit from utilizing technology like Metal 3 and MetalFX Upscaling, although it doesn't seem like Apple fans should expect anything in the way of new content. That will likely be saved for the game's upcoming sequel, Death Stranding 2.
At the end of his segment, Kojima also stated that "we are actively working to bring our future titles to Apple platforms." This potentially hints at the fact that games like Death Stranding 2 and his Xbox-published title could eventually make their way to Apple's devices.
Death Stranding: Director's Cut will launch for Mac on an unspecified date later this year, with preorders opening soon.

Gaming

Tribeca Festival 2023 will feature seven games and a Hideo Kojima documentary

Hideo Kojima in an office during the Xbox Bethesda Showcase 2022.

This year's Tribeca Festival will once again feature video games, as well as the debut of Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds, a documentary about the famed game developer, and a Q&A with Kojima himself. That's happening alongside the festival's official selection of seven games, which includes titles like Goodbye Volcano High and Stray Gods.
At 5 p.m. ET on June 17 at Spring Studios, Tribeca Games will hold a screening for Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds, which is a documentary by Glen Milner and Ben Hilton that delves into Kojima's creative process and tells the story of Kojima Productions. This is its world premiere, and it will be followed by a Q&A where attendees can Kojima whatever they want about the documentary and his experience as a game developer.
Since 2021, Tribeca Games has been a wider part of the Tribeca Festival celebration, typically highlighting narrative-focused games that are doing new and exciting things, such as American Arcadia, As Dusk Falls, A Plague Tale: Requiem, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits. This year's lineup features seven games, with the headliner being The Expanse: A Telltale Series, the first new episodic adventure game from the revitalized Telltale.

Tribeca is really leaning into featuring this game as well, as it is hosting a panel called Exploring Deep Space: How Telltale and Deck Nine created Expanse Stories in an Interactive Medium, where its developers will discuss the challenges in creating a narrative-focused video game prequel to the popular TV show. Other game selections will be featured in the Tribeca Games Spotlight and have playable demos at Tribeca's Games & Immersive Experience. Tribeca Games 2023's selections also include the following: