Next-gen devs could tackle big projects through episodic content, Kojima says

Metal Gear creator and game director Hideo Kojima believes that developers could trade bulky, one-shot games for a more episodic approach in the next console generation, Edge reports.

Speaking with the publication during the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance world tour, Kojima said taking on a 20-30 hour game could be approached in episodes, rather than falling back on years of production with a large team. This way, developers could release "pilot episodes" to gauge an audience response.

"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," Kohima said. "It can be distributed via download channels, so the player can try it out before production continues. Something like that wouldn't take that long to create, maybe a year, and if it's successful, you can continue."

Episodic content has already proven to be a viable option for some franchises. Telltale's The Walking Dead, which received numerous accolades and Polygon's own Game of the Year award in 2012, is released in spaced-out episodes.

Kojima is expected to return to GDC this year to discuss the Fox Engine, which will power future games, in a talk called "Photorealism through the eyes of a 'FOX': The Core of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes."