ryan payton

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It’s Official MGS4 Producer Now Working on Halo

7:00AM Brian Crecente | Ryan Payton, former assistant producer on Metal Gear Solid 4, has signed on with Microsoft Game Studios to work on future Halo games, Microsoft Game Studios said today, confirming the rumour Kotaku broke last month. “Microsoft has confirmed the addition of Ryan Payton, formerly of Kojima Productions to Microsoft Game Studios,” said Phil Spencer, in a prepared statement sent to Kotaku. “Payton joins a group of industry heavy hitters to recently arrive at Microsoft Game Studios, including Corrine Yu from Gearbox and Kenneth Scott of id Software, as well as David Wu from Pseudo Interactive and Frank O’Connor, a Bungie veteran. Microsoft Game Studios is thrilled to have such talented people working to develop new and exciting projects within the Halo universe and supporting existing projects from studios like Bungie and Ensemble.” While the official statement doesn’t go into details about Payton’s job, we’ve been told he will be the creative director for the upcoming Peter Jackson Halo game. New Halo Helmed by MGS 4 Producer [Kotaku] More »

Payton: Japan’s No Longer the Centre of the Gaming Universe and Developers Know It

4:00AM Brian Crecente | Ryan Payton, self-described game hobo, fresh off working on Metal Gear Solid 4 and a cross-country move from Japan back to Seattle, took some time to sit down with me this weekend to talk development, Japan and life. More »
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Ryan Payton Has Left Kojima Productions (Mentions MGS5)

8:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Ryan Payton (hats, in tow) has left Kojima Productions. The Assistant Producer spearheaded a more Western approach to controls for Metal Gear Solid 4, making the game far more approachable and much tighter than the previous installment. He also helped warm the MGS4 team up to more Western developed games like Gears of War as well. Why did he leave and what’s next? His answers after the jump. More »
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Hey, Metal Gear Solid 5 Could Be A Prequel, Star Big Boss

12:30PM Luke Plunkett | COULD! I say COULD! Not will. So relax. You cool? Then we cool. While chatting with the 1UP crew, Kojima Production’s Ryan Payton has said “There are some misunderstandings that this is the final Metal Gear game. But it’s really the final chapter of the Solid Snake story. That’s all”. Care to elaborate? Well, right before that, he said there’s “still a lot of room for filling in the gaps as far as Big Boss is concerned”. Make of that what you will. My favourite part of the interview, though, doesn’t even concern Metal Gear. After he’s asked whether Japanese devs should start adopting Western control methods in order to improve their games, Payton says: “If other Japanese publishers want to improve their controls, I wouldn’t say they need to adopt western ideas, but rather that they simply need to improve them”. Too true. Metal Gear Solid 5 Could Be a Prequel [1UP] More »

Hear Solid Snake Say ‘Kotaku’

11:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Solid Snake’s English voice actor David Hayter, Drebin’s voice Khary Payton, Liquid Ocelot’s Patric Zimmerman, MGS4 producer Ken Imaizumi, assistant producer Ryan Payton and Ryan Payton’s hat were all on hand at the midnight launch signing. Thanks Kotaku reader helsinkivalo for the vid! More »

Kojima Productions Says ‘No MGS4 90 Minute Cutscenes’

9:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Late last month, magazine PSW stated that upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 has 90 minute cutscenes — which, the magazine pointed out, could be skipped. Website GamePro fired back, confirming that the game does have “occasionally lengthy” cutscenes and calling the 90 minute cutscenes “a pretty big exaggeration.” Magazine EDGE offered this in its review: “The cutscenes here are sure to invoke that thousand-yard stare, two in particular coming perilously close to the 90-minute mark.” But what’s the official word from Kojima Productions? Metal Gear Solid 4 Assistant Producer Ryan Payton tells Kotaku that the 90 minute cutscene claim is a “gross exaggeration.” Hit the jump for his full statement and POSSIBLE SPOILER. More »
News

There Will Be More Metal Gear

1:00PM Brian Ashcraft | Just like we thought! And once again confirming what we had hear before!! There will be more Metal Gear Solid — though, not necessarily more SPOILER. According to Kojima Productions’ Ryan Payton, who says (possible SPOILER): More »

Kojima Says Blu-Ray Disc Doesn’t Have Enough Space

6:32PM Brian Ashcraft | Sure, we know Metal Gear Solid 4 is a big game and all. We didn’t know it was gianormous. Literally! Last week, Kojima Productions producer Ryan Payton said there wasn’t enough space for an English language track on the Japanese version of MGS4 and vice-versa. Just listen to this exchange between Hideo Kojima and Famitsu: Kojima: For us, we’re not still not satisfied with the quality we can do. You know, there’s not capacity space. Interviewer: Wait, wait a sec. Saying there’s not enough capacity, are you talking about Blu-ray? Kojima: That’s correct. There’s not enough space at all. (laughs) …There’s not enough space. We always talked about where to cut and what to compress. Hideo Kojima, gaming’s Icarus, flying too close to the sun. Blu-ray is Too Small [Hatimaki Thanks, Beau!] More »

Japanese MGS4 Won’t Have English Subtitles

1:00AM Brian Ashcraft | Earlier, we brought word that the US and European Metal Gear Solid 4 versions will not feature a Japanese voice track due to a lack of apparent disc space. Well, what about the Japanese version? Will it feature English language subtitles? Surely, Kojima Productions could squeeze subtitles on — that way, those English speakers who really wanted the Japanese voices would get them. Kojima Pro’s Ryan Payton tells us: No English subtitles on MGS4 JP. Short, to the point and unfortunate. Ya can’t have everything, kids! Sorry. More »

US/Europe Metal Gear Solid 4 Won’t Have Japanese Track

7:00PM Brian Ashcraft | In the latest Kojima Productions Report podcast, producer Ryan Payton announces that MGS4 won’t have voice over tracks for other languages. Says Payton: Unfortunately because of disc space, we don’t have the space to include other languages, other voice over files for the respective versions. So the Japanese version’s not gonna have English VO, and the North American and European versions won’t have Japanese VO. He does go on to state the voice over work in MGS4 is the best it’s ever been. Kojima Pro’s Aki Saito chimes in, saying they could’ve delayed the game to shoehorn that VO work in. But hey, the PS3 is region-free if you really, really want to hear the Japanese VO. Sounds like MGS4 is pushing the boundaries of Blu-ray space. Session 081 [Kojima Productions Thanks, spookymulder!] More »