The Upfront Costs
Regardless of the influence and wealth that Hideo Kojima has built through his role as a rockstar game creator, the upfront cost of opening a studio is substantial and probably far beyond the means of any single developer to take on. The speed of the announcement and the deal means that Kojima is probably motivated to move forward on a project as soon as possible, but securing the funds to open a new studio without a publishing deal such as the one struck would have required a long drawn out process of finding investors.
What this deal, which was secured for an undisclosed amount, allows Kojima to do is begin purchasing resources, obtaining studio space, and hiring talent to surround himself with. Let’s be honest for a moment, Kojima isn’t setting the world ablaze with turnaround on his development cycles. His games are much like a fine wine, aging for years in the proverbial development barrel until they are ready to hit the shelves. This deal just applied a little extra grease to what is sure to still be a slowly churning wheel.
