Kojima wishes people would stop asking about MGS4 on 360
Future projects could be multiplatform
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has told Eurogamer that he looks forward to a day when people stop asking him whether MGS4 is coming out on Xbox 360.
"I've been doing a lot of interviews and stage shows, and half the questions are like 'Will MGS4 be coming out on 360 or other formats?', and in the near future I hope they'll ask me about Metal Gear, about us, about our future projects, and will stop caring about the hardware," Kojima explained.
Pressed on MGS4's exclusivity and the possibility of an Xbox 360 port, Kojima reiterated that the PS3 had been chosen because he believed that the series' success had been entwined with PlayStation's, and admitted that "because MGS4 was optimised for the PS3 it is probably not possible".
"But, you know, what kind of disturbs me sometimes, because a lot of people ask me about this PS3/360 question, is that it's not about the hardware - I want people to look at the game itself. Sometimes I even feel like it should be on a PC so that people don't ask me about hardware and platforms," he said.
Asked whether he would develop multiplatform games in future, Kojima said: "If we're talking about the future - not MGS4, but my future titles, if we're referring to that - if the hardware technology rises then obviously, you know, it won't be based on the hardware anymore. Probably I will first create the software and then, um, it's a strange word to say, but port to other hardware if that technological ability rises in all areas."
It's an approach that's already reaping rewards for others, including fellow Japanese developer Capcom, whose teams are known to develop games using an engine running on the PC platform, which can then be ported to PS3 and 360 - Resident Evil 5 being the latest example.