The Fox Engine is a cross-platform game engine built from the ground up by Kojima Productions for use in future titles developed by the team.^[1] It is believed that this engine is designed for the next-generation of video games developed for consoles like "PlayStation 4" and "Xbox 720". The engine was revealed at the Konami pre-E3 press conference on June 3, 2011. The engine's development began after the completion of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots with the goal of making the "best engine in the world."^[2]

The engine will make it possible for Kojima Productions to develop multiplatform games with a significantly shortened development time^[3] and has been described as the first step for the developer to move away from development for a single platform.^[4]

A demo of the engine was shown at the same event. Taking place in a jungle environment, the demo showed off the engine's visual capabilities and featured a young man running around, a horse and a dog.^[5] The tech-demo was not a game that will be released but instead a test area for the development of the engine.^[6] Kojima Productions will use the engine for all future titles, including a yet to be announced game made by Hideo Kojima.^[7]

On August 17, 2011, Kojima released a series of images on Twitter. The images were of facial tests created in the Fox Engine.^[8] The tweets stated that the character was a "killed character." It also stated that the character shown was not Colonel Volgin.^[9] In addition, during a lecture at the University of Southern California held by Hideo Kojima, an image was shown to various students in a demonstration of the Fox Engine's capabilities with a scene depicting a forest environment with a man that vaguely resembles Big Boss laying in wait behind a tree with a Stryker moving up through the forest. Later, on December 16th, Kojima released more images over Twitter, including one image showcasing "One of the key features about "FOX Engine", here's the transparent technique. See-thru underwear."^[10]

On February 20, 2012, two pictures, one of a soldier in gear, and one of a woman in a bikini, were uploaded onto Kojima's twitter page relating to the Fox Engine.^[11][12]

On March 2, 2012, the Development Without Borders website uploaded a "classified" CD labelled "FOX Engine Lighting Sample" that contained a question as to which of the two pictures was a simulation of the staff room created by the FOX engine. Clicking on it will reveal that Side B was the correct answer, and explains how it does it. The second slide also depicts some hoops and levitating balls of varying colors in the "seats" of the table, as well as a horse entering through the room.

GalleryEdit

A screenshot from a tech demo showing off the engine.

Facial model tests created on the Fox Engine.

Demo shown during lecture at the USC held by Kojima.

Picture showing off the "transparent technique".

A game in development featuring Fox Engine.

Heavy-gear soldier modeling picture uploaded by Kojima via his Twitter account.

bikini model posing for modeling picture uploaded by Kojima via his twitter account.

A screenshot of one of project's programmer "Lionel" and his avatar, made in about an hour of fiddling was released via Kojima's Twitter account.

Screenshot of Fox Engine's capability of indoor environment of KojiPro's conference room rendering. The "A"-named pictures are the real ones.

As the company explains, the engine doesn't use pre-calculated lightmaps to determine how static objects will reflect the light around them, but instead uses a physics-based lighting process that allows for moving objects that can be "lit so they naturally blend in with the environment."^[13]

English translation of the result screen of the FOX Engine Lighting test.

Motion capture work.

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ReferencesEdit