I'm sorry to hear about his family issues; I hope everything is alright. On another note, welcome back to the west coast!

Snake726

Metal Gear Solid 5; sound very interesting. Well, I hope he bounces back on his feet soon and how could any developers NOT want a guy who was a producer for MGS4.

NYKnicker

@Psudonym: The podcast has been down since april, unless he's finally released the ingame podcasts he promised with the first one... I haven't checked for online updates in a while on MGS4.

bobtheduck

I have immense respect for this man. You could really sense how important his family was to him, from his recollections in the MGS4 "making of."

Best of luck.

fecalchaos

Quite a shift, but definitely understandable. The past year has not been easy on anyone. Best wishes to his family and friends. Who knows where Ryan's path may go next?

kadosho

I've been listening to his Podcasts since their inception and he's a really cool guy. Best of luck to the guy.

Zero_

Wow big loss for KP. But stay on your feet and spend time with your family.

Also good to hear about a MGS V

shrek187

Ryan can be the next Phil Harrison for Sony.

phalanges

Pity, he was a good ambassador for Kojima Productions in the West.

El-Suave

I'm one of those who lined up at the MGS4 hollywood launch. Awesome guy, he was really talkative and generally cheerful dude. I'm guessing he felt like a rock star for the first time at the launch.

Veridis_Quo

Best of luck Ryan! MGS fans are really gonna miss you.

SnakeCL

Now they need to hire someone to say 'Let's cut the weddings, toilet humour and any crying from Otacon'

Hey I think I've just fixed MGS4... the job is mine.

frenchdestroyer

@kitsuneconundrum: I was just thinking that.

hamandcheeseUK

You're the best! Good luck Ryan Payton!

Orionsaint

good luck and love the shirt

icko

i want his t-shirt

kitsuneconundrum

I think he did a bloody good job on MGS4. I usually get quite frustrated with Metal gear games. I have enjoyed all the metal gears althou I found previous ones a little wooden. 4 was silky smooth! Cheers dude!

GOD

It would be awesome to see him bring his aquired talents to a western development team.

GOD

I wish him well with his family. I'll miss the podcast but priorities are priorities.

Psudonym

Ryan seems like a genuine good guy. Hope it works out for him.

TheSpiller

I just hope that Konami hires someone similar that can advise the team and relate to them more Western developed games.

DigiMish

*has left

pseudothought

YAY FOR THE HOLLYWOOD SIGNING! YAY for being next in line when they STOPPED SIGNING! Yay for the riot that nearly started after that, with people yelling at the Bestbuy manager.

Hmm... I'm grateful for the changes he made to the game, but I think his job was done. Gameplaywise, the game was perfect. The next game can just use the same gameplay with 1 or 2 differences and be just fine.

bobtheduck

From the interviews with Ryan Payton, he seemed like a down-to-earth guy, and that's great. It's a pity for Kojima Productions to lose a critical member of the team, but his personal family issue obviously trumps everything else.

Here's hoping that both his personal and professional hurdles have a happy ending. Thanks a million, Ryan.

jerimas

i'll have to keep an eye out to see where he ends up

tsukasa1288

Good luck Ryan, I hope all goes well for you in the future.

D-Sovereignty

Forget the article. Someone get a close up on that shirt! I wanna see it more clearly! And like someone else said, I totally want that shirt too.

Salen

Sounds like he had an interesting experience at KP. Can't wait to see what he does next!

Turbostraw

So that really is the end of the Kojima Productions Report. All the best to the future Ryan. :)

Arnold Rimmer's Garden Strimmer

Hope he doesn't end up working on a Splinter Cell game.. LOL

Snappywave

Ryan, good luck with your mom. Wish her all the best!

Working abroad in Asia as well for the last 3 years, I only get to see my family once each year.
Although I'm not homesick or anything, those trips are very important for me to stay connected to my family; the most important persons in the world.

sander_dutch

go to Naughty Dog!

animexplorer

poor guys probably put more hours in at KP that most devs do ina lifetime...

gique

I would like to see a remake of the Origional Metal Gears. There is story there, but it hasn't been fleshed out. It'd be sweet to see Snake and Frank Jagger before he was Grey Fox.

Rurik

So... MGS5 confirmed? Yeah?

FlameEye

I saw the headline and was ready to go "AW WHAT THE FU--" and then I read the story. Indeed, he seems like a really cool guy and while it's sad to see him go I think it's great to see someone who didn't let the fame get to them so much that they forget the people that matter.

Too bad this means the in-game podcasts will probably never be updated, now.

not_tom_brokaw

hes a cool dood, what else can i say? good luck with everything

pandafresh

Naughty Dog is the right place for you my friend.

Stay away from Silicon Knights. :D

Good Luck and Thanks for your contribution on MGS4.

xCruciaLx

Probably this is why we haven't been getting any Integral Podcasts whatsoever on MGS4, after the launch one.

Candlejack

However on a serious note... After watching the MGS4 behind the scenes bluray disc.. I could see that Ryan has a great family. All of this makes sense to me.

Snappywave

Well...in the end he feels that his family is important and he should do what needs to be done. I don't blame him one bit and I hope he does well in all his future endeavours. Good show old chap, good show.

Kapzer

Good Luck in what ever you do next Ryan.

walls99

@kimsama: Mmm, yes, that is an awesome shirt. There should be a lot more MGS merchandise. The current offerings on their website aren't too cool.

Candlejack

I really do hope that KP finds another Ryan-like guy to help incorporate some of the gaming features from American games into upcoming MG(S?) games. I really liked the control on MGS4. And he's just such a nice guy, dammit! I hope his mom is ok and I hope he finds success in his next venture.

@Candlejack: I was wondering about that, myself -- now it makes sense!

Finally: Acquiring that t-shirt is now one of my life goals.

kimsama

I just want a new Metal Gear in the style of the old games. If Mega Man can do it, so can Solid Snake for Virtual Console, Live, or PSN.
Better yet, new handheld game that is pure sneaking and shooting. No team soilder capturing or card game though, just what made the original and Babel so great.

Kenofthedead

Other than switching the controls after three installments of MGS I liked his additions. Good luck to him.

AntiHiro

@Snappywave: know what i know must watch this blu-ay tonite. thx for the heads up.

zanzibarlegend

On a serious note, that shirt is badass

Gt

Aww, I seriously popped MGS4 in about 20 minutes before I read this just to see if there was a new Integral podcast.

Ryan seems like a great guy. I'm gonna miss the Kojima Productions Report and all that. But damn, did he get lucky. The fact that he went from a fan of the MGS games to actually being an assistant producer for the final game in the series is insane. That must have been such a great experience for him, even if it did sound rough. And we have him to thank for MGS4's control scheme, and not to mention just being an all around awesome guy who gave us a really interesting look inside the Japanese gaming industry.

Well, I wish him luck in all he does, and I hope his family's doing well. I'll miss hearing from him, but here's to hoping we'll see more him in the industry in some form.

Fyrinn

Good luck, Ryan.

FP_slomo788

Take care of mom, the rest is gravy. Best of luck to you Ryan! I wish you and your family well.

-EDGE-

Awesome guy - I always enjoyed listening to the KP podcasts. Hope he gets another great gig soon.

Maybe Ken Imaizumi, Aki Saito and Mark MacDonnald can continue doing the podcast...

Comicd

It was Ryan's help on MGS 4 that really pulled me back into the series. I had gotten completely frustrated with the controls and camera and I'm glad they hired someone to iron that out. More Japanese game developers need to do something similar.

Good luck Ryan. I really enjoyed your contribution to the series.

heretrix

I like Payton, he's got a nice voice!

excel_excel

@DigiMish: Agreed! His input certainly shed some light on Western gamers and their culture.

It's good that one if his last memories with KP is the midnight launch event he mentioned. They were mobbed and such. Heck if I was there I would've mobbed them as well! =D

From the interviews and videos I've seen, he genuinely sounds like a nice guy. Not only that, he seems to be passionate and knows what he's doing. Hope he overcomes whatever crisis his family is facing.

Oh and here's a link for an interview with him. It's good to know how he started in the biz.

[www.1up.com]

excaliburps

@excaliburps: @kimsama: I know both you seem to idolize asian work ethic or whatever, but I find it plain insulting for the guy to put down American workers and their method of working because, "oh I worked in Japan", that screams douche to me.

Fact is American workers and our work ethic is the most productive in the world. We work longer and more efficient that everyone else.

You all might want to think about that fact, when someone casually puts down America.

dtm3

Ryan go for yours hope everything works out right and you did a great job on MGS4

BauerStyle

@excaliburps: Sad, isn't it? Nobody said anything about the Jp work ethic being "better" than anyone else's -- just that it's fabled (and it is, oy, I had Jp friends that worked until 2 or 3 am every morning and slept at their offices!). But I guess that personal insecurity could make someone read into it that way. ^_~ Thanks for posting that interview, btw -- a very nice read.

@Candlejack: I know, right? I personally would be flooding them with money if there weren't such a dearth of cool stuff. Someone get on that, stat! Konami needs to hire the Ryan Payton of the marketing world, next.

kimsama

@dtm3: Maybe by you he won't.
Japanese people are famous for their work ethic. Heck I'm not Japanese (I'm half Chinese) but I know their work ethic is better than most. Please don't make this thread dumb down to a "my country's better than yours" type of thing. Because frankly, it's stupid and boring.

If you read the interview I posted above, you'd get more or less what impact he made for the fanbase of KP as well as for the game itself.

excaliburps

Good luck Ryan! You did a great job at Kojima Productions!

Al87

Forget him, he will not be missed. I really do not see how he helped the controls because they still felt dated. Also the Japan-aphile talk really irks me. Japanese work ethic, what the hell, so Japanese work better than Americans and Europeans? BS.

dtm3

@Salen: Yay! Thank you!

kimsama

@Tubatic: I know, right? Hell, I'm an American with two jobs (one full-time and one part-time), and I'm not offended. ^_~ More power to any work ethic that produces more video games for me to play in my scant downtime!

kimsama

So no MGS4 Integral Podcast Episode 2 to come anytime soon huh?

Alex_Mexico

Dang I like this Ryan. You did put together one of the best games ever made. Good luck and hope to see some more great games coming from your way.

boots555

FINALLY! I found a copy of that shirt's image.

[gangles.ca]

I didn't realize the third circle's pic was Travis Touchdown. Now I want that shirt even more.

Salen

@Tubatic: You put that succulently. Well said. =D

I generally dislike comparing patriotism to another one. My wife is not Chinese after all. So I value the cultural differences as well. (She's Middle-Eastern). =D

excaliburps

Good night, and good luck, Ryan.
Hope you mother gets better.

Mr. Tambourine Man

@kimsama: No problem! Glad you enjoyed it...

@dtm3: I don't idolize it as much as I've seen it.

Have I worked with Americans on a corporate level? Yes. Were they lazy? No. But they weren't the most profilic.
I've worked with other nationalities as well. Australians are the most laid back. By that I mean they party all the time.

I don' think that was Payton's intent. He seems to be taken out of his fishbowl having to work in Japan all this time. Of course there's going to be differences.

No one is/was putting down America. We're on an American blog, reading about an American. The blogger who posted this is an American. I highly doubt we'd be that hypocritical.

I also noticed you didn't like another post because you think the "theme" is bashing America. I highly doubt that was Bash's intention for said posts.

Chill Captain, We're all multi-nationalists here (or at least married to some). =D

excaliburps

Best of luck to Ryan and his family. I'm sure he'll take a job that's a good fit.

billnabors65

@dtm3: Just chiming in to say get off that mine's better than yours bullsh. The perception of the Japanese work ethic is that you work until its finished, and put in as much time as possible, often at the expense of personal free time (The Gran Turismo team comes to mind, of which I've seen video of guys sleeping under their desks).

One could see that as a negative if you value family, sure. But the statement was just about the infamous ethic that he assimilated while working there, not whether it was good, bad, or ugly.

I know its Kotaku, but chill with that nationalism :)

. . CWTNAJPG?

Tubatic

MGS5: Snake vs. Zombie CONFIRMED!!!!!

I've already pre-ordered.

FoxHoundADAM

GIVE ME ZONE OF THE ENDERS OR GIVE ME DEATH

Deft_One

@FoxHoundADAM: I wish. best crossover ever. The closest you'll ever get is the drebin driving sequence in MGS4, just keep murmuring brraaaiiinnss.

GFX-187

hey ryan, valve is in Washington state.....

arkitex

Ryan Payton really helped Kojima Productions perfect their gameplay, which wasn't always the best. He was a big part to what made MGS4 the success it is. I wish him and his family the best. Now someone, hire this man and give me boatloads of cash!

HaydenTenno

@excel_excel: ewww... man-love :3

okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under)

@Salen: I am in your debt, thank you!

Jest

Best wishes to Ryan and his family.

But if he's left Kojima Productions, does that mean we'll never see another Integral Podcast!? @_@

Altersparck

Yeah, I blame him for fucking up the controls, actually. MG needed LESS Western, not more.

GhaleonUnlimited

all the enemies from the action scenes on MGS4 were zombies, so the shirt make sense.

kamisama

A little OT but this is what Kojima has to say about MGS4 being ported to the 360.

[www.ps3fanboy.com]

xCruciaLx

Thought he was nut-munching Kojima just for the job position at KP, but to hear it's because of family importance makes me see it clearly what he's about.

On the side note, I didn't had any problems with previous MGS control schemes like others may have complained about.

stretch

Man that stinks, but it sounds like the only true reason was family stuff and that is 100% understandable. I'll miss the KPR.

AwShucks

With all the work he's done for the company I think he deserves his own Konami branch office in Washington, or at least a work-from-home consulting gig.

I wish him and his family the best.

flashtut

You did an awesome job, not only with the westernizing of MGS, but also many other things.. thanx!

Reetesh

That's an amazingly awesome T-shirt.

bangbangblah

Just from this interview you can see that Kojima-san surrounded himself with great people. Ryan seems like a very down to earth type of person and you see why Kojima picked him. Perhaps he will rejoin down the line before they start MGS5. Who knows but Ryan really helped out and I wish I could personally shake his hand for all the work he has done.

TheNexusRebound

Ryan was an awesome guy; his Kojima Productions Report podcasts were always interesting and funny, offering a new perspective on both the MGS4 development and of his life in Japan. It's a shame he's had to leave the team like this, but I'm looking forward to whatever he decides to work on next with much anticipation. I wish the best of luck to him his family.

Blah8

I figured Snake wasent over with just yet.

Just2Fresh

hey hey hey... MGS5 = SNAKE + ZOMBIES? LOL

jsc_tidus

Best wishes Ryan. I hope all goes well for your mother and I hope to see you involved in gaming in the future. Preferrably with KP, but I'm okay if you choose to shoot some of your ideas to Sony. ;)

sascha23

@Littlefields:
MGS4 is the last Metal Gear Solid game with Kojima at the helm, and probably the last one with Solid Snake as a playable character.

Mr. Tambourine Man

Can someone fill me in on this? I thought MGS4 was the last one.Anyways, good luck Ryan.

Littlefields

Best of luck.

Crazyreyn

Best of luck, Ryan. You should go to work for Bungie or Valve, man. Here's hoping for the best for your mom, as well.

Count_Elmdor

Best of luck to you Ryan.

SolidEyeSystem

Ryan Payton is a lucky man, I'd kill to watch the genius that is Hideo Kojima at work for one day.

Best of luck to you Mr. Payton.

Riistetyt

i like the cut of his jib

killadudeman

best of luck to you and your family. I hope someone picks you up stateside to develop one of your games. Hopefully close to home.

Awoken is waiting for R2

Good luck Ryan. ANd thanks for adding to the MGS5 speculation! MGS4 was awesome so I expec you will do well everywhere you go.

Weasel3689

Thanks for all the podcasts, Ryan. Good luck.

umbrae

Oh God, I want that t-shirt.

Combichristoffersen

Yeah, he did a nice job getting them to make combat in metal gear actually fun. Hopefully he gets a nice job working with another developer in the east helping them make games appeal to western audiences. That is an excellent niche that he fills

Kounji

Wow. Didn't see this one coming.

Best of luck to you and your family, Ryan Payton. Your obvious dedication to KP and MGS4 was admirable, something we as gamers appreciated. The end result was an extremely entertaining work of art which has set a new benchmark for video games and interactive storytelling.

Highlander Wolf

Wow, I've never seen an assistant producer get so much attention.

ldycat

Good luck to Ryan and his family. I'm sure they will pull through their hard times and he'll find a way to get his ideas to the masses.

SpadeAce

You should market your own line of hats. I'd buy one. Best of luck to your future endeavors, I guess this means the KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS REPORT is gone for good. /salute!

Roflcopter_Down: Wants you to follow HIM!

Good luck and Godspeed.

Suzaku

@FoxHoundADAM: Psh, I'm already lined up, foo!

MetaKz

@Rajolae: Shit = shirt go go bad typos!

Rajolae

Totally understand how he would want to quit for those reasons. Now where can one acquire that shit?

Rajolae

Ryan Payton was also responsible for introducing the Japanese team to donuts.

michaelleung

Best wishes to his Mom. I too appreciate the contributions to MGS4. It was a huge improvement in the control department. Super game. Ryan will be just fine, let's hope for his Mom for now. Prayers or whatever suits ya'll. Trust me, losing family before you should really, really sucks.

MetiQluzZ

Thanky you so much Ryan for making 'X' accept and 'O' cancel in an MGS 4 game!!!!!

JAGJEET

@frenchdestroyer: Ummm... No.

JAGJEET

GL Ryan. Thx for everything in MGS4 and MPO

Erorrless

I wish him the best of luck and thank him for the great amount of work and research that went into MGS4.

Witzbold

Not to pull your heads out of Ryan Payton's lap or anything but maybe he's leaving because of the huge failure MGS4 was. It seems a lot like a graceful exit to me...

@dtm3: Wow dtm3, you must know every American personally to make such a bold statement. I mean I could say something really disparaging and I could mention the percentage of morbidly obese Americans and all those people living off welfare and all those blue-collar Mexicans workers and all that white collar crime and all that Indian outsourcing but if you say America has the best work ethic then I believe you.

Mr.Bates