Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima believes that developing games for the next generation of consoles is going to bring about even more challenges to developers, but he just might have a potential solution already worked out.
Speaking to Edge, Kojima believes that making games more episodic, that is, developing a game "pilot" (like television studios) and then releasing more content if it is successful, will help the next-gen systems thrive. Kojima is worried teams will become divided on different issues, and that producing a smaller intro to a game would lessen pressures on the people making the game.
"...You have to prioritize, and that is what's going to separate the teams that succeed from the teams that don't. (But) I think there's a different way of tackling this problem: something similar to a TV series, where you can use pilot episodes to test the waters before you jump completely into the project," he said.
Kojima believes that if developers make these so-called pilots, they can make changes to the overall product using fan input, and thus help improve games on the fly.
"I think there'll be a social aspect to game creation, because it will be more interactive. You'll get user feedback, and I think there'll be this back-and-forth between users and creators," Kojima explained.
Kojima has said that he is excited about the social aspects the PlayStation 4, so it makes sense that he believes more direct interaction between developers and gamers will be essential for the next generation. While making giant-sized demos of games is an intriguing concept, it would take a lot for big studios to change the way that they make games. But this idea could very well work for smaller or indie developers looking to make the most out of their development time. With the rise of episodic games such as Telltale's The Walking Dead, Kojima's ideas may just have legs they need to succeed.