Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima says he’s reevaluated his priorities since turning 60 and becoming severely ill during the pandemic, and has even left a will containing game ideas for staff to use after his death.
Kojima turned 60 during the production of Death Stranding 2, but the game designer told Edge Magazine in its latest issue that an illness he suffered during the pandemic was what most inspired him to seriously consider what to do with his remaining years.
It also stirred the games auteur to consider the future of his studio, he said, which is why he’s decided to take on numerous projects, such as the Sony action-espionage game Physint, Xbox-backed OD, and the upcoming Death Stranding sequel.
“Turning 60 was less of a turning point in my life than my experiences during the pandemic,” he told Edge. “I fell seriously ill at that time, and also had an eye operation. Until then, I didn’t think I was old, you know? I just didn’t feel my age, and I assumed I would be able to create for as long as I live.
“But then I became sick, and I couldn’t create anything. And I saw lots of people around me passing away at that time. I was confronted with death. Of course, I recovered, but now I was thinking, ‘Wait, how many years do I have left to make game or a film?’ Perhaps I have ten years?”
Kojima said he’s since reevaluated his priorities for how he should spend his remaining years. He said he had considered directing a film, but directors Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn – who both appear in Death Stranding– advised him to stick to video games.
During his illness in the pandemic, Kojima said he realised a lot of fans wanted him to make something like Metal Gear, which is why he decided to create the espionage game Physint with Sony.
Kojima said he believes spending his remaining years creating a variety of projects will help better secure the future of Kojima Productions beyond his lifespan, which is something he is increasingly thinking about.
“I gave a USB stick with all my ideas on it to my personal assistant, kind of like a will,” he said. “Perhaps they could continue to make things after I’m gone at Kojima Productions… This is a fear for me: what happens to Kojima Productions after I’m gone? I don’t want them to just manage our existing IP.”
The latest issue of Edge is out now, both physically and digitally, and can be purchased directly online.
VGC recently travelled to Kojima Productions in Tokyo, Japan, for an extensive Death Stranding 2 preview and interviews with the game’s development team.
