Hideo Kojima, the creative mind behind the Metal Gear franchise and head of the Kojima Productions studio, has stated at a press conference earlier today that he believes traditional consoles will be phased out in the near future. Instead, users will wish to be able to access their games at any time, regardless of the availability of a specific platform. He hypothesizes that such games would be able to offer the same software and a similar experience at all times, while not being specifically bound to a particular platform. Traditional consoles, including regular video consoles as well as handheld consoles, are not able to offer the degree of flexibility that Kojima envisions will become mandatory in the future.
Kojima made his statement at a press conference regarding Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which is due for release on the PSP in Japan later this month. A release of this game in the United States and Europe is scheduled for June 2010. The head of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, Hiroshi Kawano, who was present at the conference stated that while he considers the predications made by Kojima to be bold, he hopes that Kojima “continues to develop for platforms”.
Kojima did not make any statement regarding whether games that ‘transcend’ the current form of consoles are currently being developed at his studio.