Speaking from extremely limited personal experience, I can say that the tug-of-war between fans and creators is often a tricky thing. While content producers don’t want to lose their audience through unpopular choices, they want the creative fulfillment of making their own way. Likewise, fans have certain expectations, yet need the creator to do what originally drew the fans to the creator’s work to begin with.
Enter Hideo Kojima. To say that this guy has been all over the map creatively is an understatement. From entry to entry in the Metal Gear Solid series, the games tones and even main characters have shifted wildly. On top of that, the guy seems to second guess himself after each new title, saying he’ll never make another one.
While this was the full intent with Metal Gear Solid 4, he’s already saying that Metal Gear Solid 5 will probably happen. In a recent interview with the Official Playstation Magazine, he talks about his original vision for Snake and how other voices changed that:
“Actually, I wanted to end it at every step along the way… In Guns Of The Patriots he was supposed to die. Everyone on the staff really wanted to keep him alive, so I caved a little. I’m a creator at heart, but at the same time I also have to manage the business aspect of it, figure out how to sell the game. I’m still trying to find that balance – it’s very delicate. How do you put in enough to make sure it sells, while remaining true to your vision?”
I’m sure this is the struggle that filmmakers and game producers constantly deal with. As much as these entertainment mediums qualify as art, there is an aspect to them that requires them to be a product as well. So what do you guys think of this idea? Do you think that more creators like this need to stick to their vision, or are you OK with them tweaking it in order to keep pumping out new iterations? Go!
Source – Official Playstation Magazine