Being one of Konami's biggest studios, Kojima Productions has some big plans for 2009. What are they up to? What's big man Hideo Kojima working on? And more importantly, are David Hayter and the rest of the gang still willing to work on more Metal Gear games despite some (questionable) psychological trauma?

A couple weeks back, we heard Ryan Payton expressing his thoughts that Japan was no longer the center of video game development. Today we hear how Sony Worldwide Studios big wig Shuhei Yoshida echoes Payton's thoughts, saying that Japan is starting to lag in its video game technology, especially when compared to the speed in which it's progressing in the US and Europe. Despite gaming feats like MGS4 or GT5: Prologue, there doesn't seem to be enough to go by with in game technology in in Japan.

Konami has filed an intriguing new label for their Metal Gear franchise, and it's called "Metal Gear Solid Existence". Time to cast in your bets! Is it a new game? Does it follow events after Guns of the Patriots - or just an enhanced edition much like MGS3: Subsistence? Could it be the title of that MGS feature-length movie they keep talking about?

Is there life after Kojima Productions? It was revealed late last month that Ryan Payton had left the MGS4 team to head back to the US... And now, we hear that he might have already been hired! Good for him, yes? Now, if current rumors prove true, Payton might be working with Peter Jackson on an upcoming Halo game. Guess the fight's not finished yet, eh?

Ever since the first ever Mario game was released, Japan has been the center of the video gaming world. Heck, two of this gen's consoles are based in Japan. However, Ryan Payton, (former) Assistant Producer at Kojima productions, believes that times have changed, and Japan no longer seems to be the center of video game development. Details in the full article.

Sometimes you just have to draw the line. And for Hideo Kojima, he just wishes for a peaceful time when people would stop harassing him about a Metal Gear Solid 4 port to the Xbox 360. Instead, all he wants is for people to see the game as it is and start looking forward to future projects (which I hope we hear about in the upcoming TGS 2008). See, there's more to life than ports and fanboy clamoring. More in the full article.

Ryan Payton has just revealed that he's leaving Kojima Productions. After working on MGS Portable Ops and Metal Gear Solid 4, this guy has clearly made a lasting footprint in the history of video game development. Leaving is always a heartbreaking thing, and though he would have been a shoe-in for development on the so-called MGS5 (which he seems to have already confirmed, to a degree), Payton will be taking it easy for now. Learn more in the full article.

As much as everyone loves Solid Snake, it would piss a lot of people off to see him beyond Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Hideo Kojima knows that and says if there is to be a new Metal Gear game, it would have to come with a new Snake. He says a new Snake is needed for a new era, and we've got the full story on it after the jump.

Hideo Kojima and company have put the lid on the Solid Snake saga with the fabulous Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots more than a week ago, but is the series done for good? Don't bet on it. With the way assistant producer Ryan Payton was talking recently, one can assume that a new prequel may be in the works. Check the full article for new details.

Over at the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots launch party, assistant producer Ryan Payton was cornered and was asked some intriguing questions about what's next for Kojima Productions and their celebrated franchise. Among those queries thrown pointed to Metal Gear Online and supposed MGS remakes for Xbox Live Arcade. His answers chronicled in the full article up next.