There used to be a time when video games were very much a Japanese industry. As the video game industry continues to balloon as one of the most profitable industries in all of entertainment, more and more games, studios, and publishers are competing for our cash, and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima thinks that Japan is suddenly on the outside looking in.

In a recent interview with Official PlayStation Magazine, Kojima stated that industry in which the original Metal Gear Solid was released in 1998 was “very different to today’s games. Now there’s a lot of pressure – back then it was very free.”

Kojima continued: “It’s much more competitive now: if you look at triple-A titles on a worldwide scale there’s maybe only ten really big games that can get gamers’ attention, and I’m not sure how Japan can compete on that level.”

There’s no denying that the west has made a splash in recent years — look no further than the success of titles such as Call of Duty or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Still, there will always be a place in my heart for the unique flavor that only Japanese sensibilities can produce, and I look forward to seeing what comes from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Source: BeefJack