GameSpot Q&A: What Game Do You Want Kojima to Work on Now?

Welcome back to GameSpot Q&A, a section where we ask our staff and readers an interesting discussion question about video games. Look at this as a forum where you and others can discuss and compare your opinions of this beloved hobby of ours. Let us know what your answer is to this week's question in the comments below!

This week's question is:

What game do you want Kojima to work now that he has left Konami?

Now that Hideo Kojima is officially out of Konami, we've all been wondering what he'll be working on next. Currently, his new team will be working on a much smaller, "edgier" project. But if you had to choose what Kojima works on next, what would you want it to be? Here's what we had to say.

Something Unexpected | Peter Brown, Senior Reviews Editor

I want Kojima to do the unexpected. He's a master of subversion, and now that he's in a position to do anything he wants, the last thing I want is something predictable. I can't bring myself to wish for anything reminiscent of his, or anyone else's past work.

Mass Effect Universe | Chris Watters, Producer/Host

If he could work on anything at all, I'd be curious to see what he would do with the Mass Effect universe. So far that series has been fairly sober and serious, something Kojima can do well. But he can also do weird, outlandish, and pervy well, and I'd love to see more of the seedy element in Mass Effect. The futuristic setting and diversity of alien races could mix quite nicely with his arcane powers of game development.

Open World Star Wars Game | Aaron Sampson, Senior Producer

I'd throw Kojima at an open world Star Wars game. Science fiction is probably the best palette for a creative mind, and nobody has delivered the cantina to bridge of a capital ship in orbit without a loading screen experience I've always wanted. Cough, cough.

Something Small | Eddie Makuch, News Editor

Hideo Kojima's recent announcement of a new studio is incredibly exciting. The veteran designer had been with Konami for almost 30 years, making a name for himself with the Metal Gear Solid series. But now he's starting anew. Kojima is known for big-budget, large-scale games, but given the size of Kojima Productions 2.0 right now (there are 4 employees as of December 2015), it would be fun to see Kojima try something smaller and possibly more unique and "different" than what we've seen from him in the past. Surprise us, Kojima!

Silent Hills | Scott Butterworth, Editor

I mean, Silent Hills. Of course Silent Hills. I’m not sure I even need to explain why. You all played P.T. earlier this year, right? You saw the grotesque wonders Kojima can work with the creepiest universe in gaming, especially when partnered with another creative giant like Guillermo del Toro. That endlessly looping hallway and all the horrors it contained showed such immense promise that I want nothing more than for Kojima to somehow pry the franchise away from Konami and continue the project on his own. It’ll probably never happen, but hey, I can dream (at least until Silent Hills comes along to give me nightmares).

New Project | Rob Crossley, Editor

I mean this as a compliment; I think a lot of game franchises would be damaged if Kojima took control of them. Blockbusters need to be vanilla, predictable, bombastic, straightforward affairs, in order to appeal to as many people as possible. I think Kojima's ideas for Call of Duty, FIFA, Need For Speed, Battlefield and so on, would turn these safe, money-generating franchises into divisive, dark, impenetrable subversions. But that's also because Kojima is a genius at his own game, and from what I understand a tyrannical workplace visionary (again, a compliment). So for me, the dream Kojima project would be something entirely new, built from scratch, unexpected. We certainly never have enough of that.

Pokemon | Justin Haywald, Senior Editor

Kojima should work on Pokemon. Imagine the stealth action of Metal Gear--carefully sneaking up, incapacitating, and Fultoning your targets--but replacing guys-with-guns with the familiar visage of Pokemon. And Pokemon could also use a narrative kick from a cinematic storyteller like Kojima. The main game's are always focused on the same patter of: beat the gym leaders, capture the legendary pokemon, beat the best trainers in the world. What if each gym leader was replaced with a boss on the level of Psycho Mantis, or a plot twist where your favorite Pokemon is working against you the entire time!

The idea is unlikely, but I don't think this is too far beyond the realm of possibility. After all, Nintendo has been opening up their franchises to more and more collaboration recently. I can only dream that my next companion in an open, Metal Gear-like world might replace D-Dog with Pikachu.

The Tenchu Series | Zorine Te, Editor

I would love to see Kojima work on a game in the Tenchu series. Ninjas? Check. Feudal Japan? Check. Stealth? Check. Kojima would bring a refreshing take on the stealth series which I would absolutely love to see. Couple that with his affinity for the quirky and strange (FATMAN ON ROLLERBLADES! THE PAIN IS MADE OF BEES!) that would be right at home in the series, and any Tenchu game he worked on would produce some truly great moments!

Maybe Escape from New York | Mike Mahardy, Editor

I love stealth games. But I think Kojima could branch out significantly with his next title, now that he's free from the chains of Konami, and has more creative freedom with his new company. I don't have a specific project in mind, but I hope it's as melodramatic and action driven as the creator's previous games, with all of their inventiveness and unique tone. Maybe we'll finally get the Escape from New York video game we're all waiting for.

Not Silent Hills, But Something Scary | Mary Kish, Senior Producer

This is probably beating a dead horse but dammit Kojima, get together with your best buddies, the master of horror manga Junji Ito and terror director Del Toro, to make a scary ass game. It does not have to be Silent Hills! It could be anything and I would be incredibly excited. Ito is exceptional at knowing what makes people's skin crawl and stretching that feeling out over long periods of time. Combine that with Del Toro's unique horror visual style and Kojima's storytelling craft, and you could have a game with a plot so scary that you'd always need to keep the lights on.