Hideo Kojima is one of the most beloved game developers out there - which is why the mecha genre needs him. As the creator of Metal Gear Solid, Kojima helped define gaming for many years, and now he and his team have brought their talents to the PS4 with Death Stranding. The big question, though, is what's next for Kojima Productions?
Considering it's Hideo Kojima, he could go anywhere, but it'd be perfect for Kojima to return to mecha, a genre he hasn't touched in almost two decades. As a genre, mecha games have severely declined in recent years, especially when looking at the heyday of series like Front Mission, Armored Core, and Mech Assault. That's not to say there aren't any mecha games out there, but the genre hasn't seen a real step forward in a long time.
That's something that Hideo Kojima and his team could change, especially when bringing the technology and know-how they gained during Death Stranding's development.
Although not nearly as known as Metal Gear Solid, Kojima was also the producer behind the cult classic Zone of the Enders, and its sequel The 2nd Runner. The title had you piloting a legendary mecha called Jehuty, in a blend of hack-and-slash and third-person shooting. While later games have had better combat, at the time, Zone of the Enders was unmatched for representing the intense over-the-top action of a mecha anime. It had an equally dramatic story to match, filled to the brim with crazy lore.
The 2nd Runner released in 2003 and managed to refine nearly everything the first game did, taking proof of concept even further. It's sad that the gameplay and ideas within Zone of the Enders never got to advance even more, and unfortunately, it's highly unlikely Kojima will ever get to work on it again, considering Konami still holds the rights.
Still, what Kojima can do is create a spiritual successor. The Decima Engine, used in Death Stranding and Horizon Zero Dawn, has already shown what it's capable of. Giant battles and massive monsters, like the BTs or robotic dinosaurs, can be rendered with stunning scale. Kojima himself has a strong capacity for dealing with mecha, evidenced by his work on Metal Gear Solid and even Death Stranding to a degree.
Death Stranding may have divided critics and players, but it has ambition in spades, and that ambition at Kojima Productions could be used to revitalize mecha, creating a robust galaxy to roam around and explore. The cargo system in Death Stranding could also serve as inspiration for customizing a mecha, fine-tuning where you put parts and balancing the weight of a machine.
The "Strand System" as Kojima calls it will undoubtedly evolve with the studio's next game, and could easily be implemented in a mecha game. Instead of roaming around the post-apocalyptic U.S., you could reconnect scattered colonies in space that are on the brink of collapse. Other players destroyed in space could leave behind parts or materials, that you can then incorporate into your own mecha. There are tons of possibilities, and the inventiveness of Kojima Productions would, no doubt, find some interesting spin to put on the genre.
While Kojima could develop their own new IP, perhaps a better alternative would be for the studio to sign on in a partnership, if everything allows for it. Kojima's name alone has enough weight behind it, but imagine if you combine that with something like Gundam, Macross, or Armored Core.
Gundam, in particular, is as big as you can get in terms of mecha, and with the franchise celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2020, it's high time the franchise gets a bold, ambitious game. This could coincide with the live-action Gundam movie being made by Legendary Pictures.
Of course, Gundam is the cream of the crop, but any number of mecha series are rife for Kojima's influence, especially since so many mecha series have themes that tie right into Kojima's usual style. Kojima is certainly considered an auteur, and if there's anyone to sign on for a big ambitious mecha adaption, it's him.
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