E3: Kojima overseeing new Castlevania

At Konami's E3 press conference today, Hideo Kojima unveiled Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, a 3D Castlevania action game for PS3 and Xbox 360, due for release in 2010.

The game is a co-production between Kojima Productions, Konami Europe and Spanish developer Mercurysteam.

Kojima's role seems to be merely one of oversight. "I truly believe in Dave [Cox, Konami Europe producer] and Mercurysteam," Kojima said. "My role is to support them, I'm going to help them to give birth to Castlevania, and that's how I support this title."

A trailer showed a slick action game in the Devil May Cry style featuring the Castlevania series' signature whip attacks. A stellar voice cast has been assembled: Sir Ian McKellen, Robert Carlyle, Natasha McElhone and Jason Isaacs' names appeared on the trailer, and their voices were heard in snatches of dialogue.

"This is Castlevania, but not as you know it," said Cox. "A fresh and radical reimagining that will still feel familiar to the fans." He promised an open gameworld of mountains, Gothic castles and wastelands for players to explore.

Kojima explained the decision to develop the game in Europe and endorsed the choice of developer. "Castlevania, as you know, was created in Japan," he said. "However, we felt that in order to be more appealing in the years to come, looking at the rest of the world, this game should be produced like this.

"I've known Dave for more than 10 years working together. I believe that he is one of the most passionate producers and game-lovers in Konami. Also, Mercurysteam - I felt that this team has real potential, it's top class in the world, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the game and its features."