More details on Hideo Kojima's new game studio

Hideo Kojima's first post-Konami game aims to be "AAA," but the industry veteran isn't looking to make this game with a huge staff.

He told GameReactor that he's modeling his new Kojima Productions studio after LittleBigPlanet and Dreams developer Media Molecule, hoping to keep it "small," and staffed by no more than 100 people.

"We aim to make a kind of small, intimate type of studio, and I felt like Media Molecule in London is quite similar to what I'm trying to make," he said.

Kojima further explained that many Japanese studios have a "macho culture," according to GameReactor. Not unlike the military, middle-aged men hand down orders in Japanese studios, he reportedly said. Don't expect Kojima Productions to be operated this way, however.

"At Media Molecule... it looks like the kitchen is the most important part," he said. "And there are quite many female people working too, so it's kind of a strange feeling."

In a round-table interview attended by GameReactor, Kojima said he wants to keep Kojima Productions capped at 100 people because he wants to personally connect with his co-workers. At Konami, he worked at teams of 200 or so people, which presumably made it difficult to get to know everyone.

"He wants to connect to the developers directly... So it will be around 100 people, but not more. Keep it that size," Kojima's translator said.

Also during the interview, Kojima joked (?) about the importance of having a good kitchen at an office. "I've found that at any studio the kitchen is very important... I saw at DICE in Stockholm they had 40 microwaves, and also there's so many coffee makers, and I understood that that is very important."

Kojima visited developers around the world to not only observe their culture and kitchenware, but also to find a new game engine for his next project. His game will use a third-party engine, but he hasn't said yet which one he chose.

Speaking last week at the Nordic Game event, Kojima said he wanted to "make a big title with a small team." His goal is to launch the game "as soon as possible."

After leaving Konami in 2015, Kojima announced he was partnering with Sony to release his next game as a PlayStation 4 console exclusive. The game, which still has not been officially unveiled or detailed, will also be released on PC.

Kojima has discussed the project in vague terms, saying it may not seem all that remarkable when it is announced, but people will understand it better when they play it. He claims it will appeal to fans of AAA action games like Uncharted, in particular.

"It's an amazing game," he said. "While not to say that it's open-world, users who enjoy today's AAA games (The Division and Uncharted, etc) will be able to easily enjoy it.

It has been suggested that Kojima's new game will be the first in a franchise that could have anime, manga and toy tie-ins.