Hideo Kojima, head honcho behind the Metal Gear Solid series, has announced plans for his team and himself, saying that 2009 will be “a year where we start from zero again.” Speaking to Japanese gaming magazine, Famitsu, Kojima said how he will be looking at his Kojima Productions’ inner workings and how the company measures up to the rest of the world:

“We’re currently reviewing everything - from the team structure to tools and our staff - in order to make Kojima Productions a team that can challenge foreign creators and software houses. So, because of that, 2009 is going to be a very important year for us.”

“I’ve come to understand that the way we’ve made games up until now won’t translate globally, and I’ve come to think that I need to make Kojima Productions a team that can compete alongside the rest of the world.”

He went on to relate how his team’s efforts will compare to western developers and how they develop games:

“I’ve thought a lot about how Western games have been winning, looking it from a global perspective, and there are things that I’ve noticed. So 2009 will be a year of change, a year where we start from zero again.”

“With games, you’ve got to use cutting-edge techniques, and doing so costs money - so I don’t think you can make games that just appeal to the Japanese market. So, 2009 will see us continuing to think how to create a team that can take on the world.”