Hideo Kojima wants to make the kind of games aliens will call cool centuries from now
Death Stranding and Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima recently sat down to answer questions from his fans in an interview with Anan News. Apart from talking about personal trivia (such as his attraction to smart women who do science), the game director also gave interesting insights about his mindset as a creator.
Kojima thinks that the most important thing a game creator should strive for is to make games they’re personally satisfied with. “I cannot put out a game that I don’t feel convinced by.” While it may sound obvious at first, Kojima is talking about it in the sense of making something that you wouldn’t mind representing you even in the distant future, when you’re long gone.
“For starters, the way art is evaluated changes with the times. Just as paintings are appraised 100 or 200 years after the artist’s death, games and films also remain as objects to be passed down through generations after their creators pass away. If I make something I’m satisfied with, centuries later aliens may come and say, “that’s awesome.” I think that’s what it means to leave something behind,” Kojima explained.
Interestingly, in an answer to a separate question, the director says that he considers himself lucky to have encountered games in his life, and that he hopes to continue making them even in the afterlife, “to entertain the dead.”
Kojima Productions is currently working on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which is scheduled to launch for the PS5 in 2025, as well as OD and Physint (working title).