10:23 am PST February 2, 2006
Hideo Kojima, the creator of the popular Metal Gear franchise, isn't exactly hiding behind closed doors while creating his next blockbuster game. The outspoken developer is constantly reaching out to fans, discussing his influences and ideas for the future.
Recently, Kojima's production company, appropriately called Kojima Productions, took its Web site live and began hosting Kojima's blog, where Kojima talks about game-related topics and occassionally gives details on upcoming projects. Though it was initially only in Japanese, it was eventually translated into English for US fans.
Not satisfied with the written word, Kojima took his blog to the ears of fans with his own podcast, titled Hidechan! Radio. Of course, it too was in Japanese and of little use to the majority of fans in North America.
Not wanting to exclude one of his biggest audiences, Kojima has arranged for an English-language version of his audioblog, hosted by Konami Productions' international manager, Ryan Payton. Payton will summarize Kojima's podcasts, bring on guests, and give behind-the-scenes information on the latest happenings at the company.
Kojima is currently working on Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PlayStation 3.