Kojima explains how Metal Gear Rising development changed hands to Platinum Games

One of the big bombshell announcements to come out of the 2011 VGAs – or what would have been if not for the news leaking ahead of the show – was the announcement that development on Metal Gear Rising had changed hands from Kojima Productions to Platinum Games.

The reaction to the reveal was, for the most part, mixed. Platinum Games offers a wildly different brand of game, and that is overwhelmingly evident in the trailer shown off during the VGAs. Some liked what they saw, and some didn’t; those that didn’t like it wanted to know what happened to the Metal Gear Rising they saw at E3s years past.

For those of you who want to know how the change of hands went down, Konami recently released a surprisingly in-depth video with interviews of Hideo Kojima and various members of the development process, both at Kojima Productions and Platinum Games.

Kojima explains in the video that the original game’s concept – which narrowed down to simply being able to cut everything – was difficult for the team to balance; the developer were stuck in a “loop”, Kojima explains. They kept trying to make the core mechanics work, but every effort ended up as a failure and, ultimately, Kojima decided that development should be handled by another studio.

The interview is an interesting look into the trials and tribulations Kojima Productions experienced when making the game, and how the partnership with Platinum Games came to be. If you’re curious as to how all of that went down, kick back and watch the 25 minute-long video below.