Metal Gear and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima recently echoed Tom Cruise when talking about his future plans, declaring: “I want to keep creating things until I die.”
Since starting out in the industry at Konami in 1986, Kojima has created a variety of games, including Snatcher, the innovative sunlight-based GBA title Boktai, and the infamous P.T. demo. In a recent interview centering around Kojima’s latest game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Game*Spark asked Kojima about his motivations and thoughts on why he continues to make games.
“I’m the same as Tom Cruise (laughs),” he said. “My life has been dedicated to creating things. That is my joy. I want to create for as long as my body and my brain keep working. I will think about (stopping) if it begins to inconvenience the people around me, but I want to keep creating things until I die.”
In likening himself to Cruise, Kojima is probably referring to the recent comments made by the actor at the premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. On the red carpet, Cruise told The Hollywood Reporter that he will never stop making movies, even quipping that intends to keep making them into his 100s.
Talking of movies, in Kojima’s comment to Game*Spark, he didn’t specify creating games, just creating. This suggests that Kojima is open to making something that is not a game in the future. In a recent video interview with French media outlet Brut, Kojima revealed that, depending on how Kojima Productions is doing after it has completed Microsoft game OD and Sony game Physint, he would like to make a movie.
With their long cutscenes and cinematic presentation, some have argued that many of Kojima’s games are already movie-like (we’ve even worked out exactly how much of each Kojima game is cutscenes). However, in the interview with Game*Spark, Kojima addresses this, explaining that even though his games are influenced by movies, he is always focused on making a game first and foremost.
“I grew up watching movies, so they influence the lighting, character modeling, direction and so on (when I make a game), but I am conscious of the fact that I am not making a movie, and my fundamental approach is to consider what can only be done in a game, including an odd sense of playfulness,” he said.
Kojima’s playfulness is evident in some of the unexpected cameos and bizarre Easter eggs you can find in his games, especially if you mess about. Check out our list of the Death Stranding 2 Easter Eggs, cheats and secrets we’ve found so far, or find out about the strange things you can make Sam do in the hotsprings.
Of course, Kojima is associated with a movie: an adaptation of Death Stranding itself, which Norman Reedus has said he’d love to star in.
Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Kojima Productions.
Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.
