Hot on the heels of revealing a number of discarded video game ideas and even an idea for a ‘Forgetting Game’ where the main character gradually forgets important information and abilities if you take too long a break from playing, Kojima has revealed he has left his staff a SUB stick of game ideas for after he dies.
As reported by VGC, Kojima issued the morbid revelation to Edge magazine, and discussed his change of thinking that occurred during the pandemic.
“Turning 60 was less of a turning point in my life than my experiences during the pandemic,” he said. “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 a game or a film?’ Perhaps I have 10 years?”
This reevaluation not only caused Kojima to take on a number of new projects, but to create the USB stick “kind of like a will,” which he hopes will help secure the future of Kojima Productions following his death.
“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.”
This week, IGN reported on Kojima’s thoughts on how time passing in real life can be used in video games. Not only did Kojima comment on time-related mechanics he has implemented in past games, but he also revealed concepts that he hasn’t used yet, including an idea he scrapped from the upcoming Death Stranding 2: On The Beach.
“I’ve thought about having characters’ hair grow in games,” Kojima said in the most recent broadcast of his Japanese radio podcast KOJI10. “Originally in Death Stranding 2, I was going to have Sam’s beard gradually grow out over time, and the player would have to shave it. If they didn’t, Sam would end up looking unkempt,” he explained. “However, as Norman Reedus is a big star, I didn’t want to make him look uncool!” Despite this, the director said it was still something he might add to another game one day.
Kojima also revealed three game concepts that have the passing of time in real life as a major mechanic. The first is a kind of game of life: “It starts out with the player being born, you’re a child and then gradually over time you become an adult. In the game, you fight various enemies. Like with the previous example (MGS3’s The End), if you keep playing the game, you will become a 70 or 80-year-old man. However, at this age you will be weaker, your eyesight will worsen. When you are a teenager you’ll be able to run faster but by the time you reach 60 you’ll slow down a bit,” Kojima explained, revealing that although your character will be in better physical condition when they are younger, they will have more knowledge and experience when they are older. This aging would affect your strategy as to how you deal with enemies. “But no-one would buy it!” Kojima added, however the other people on the podcast expressed enthusiasm about playing such a “Kojima-like game.”
Another idea he mentioned is a game where you are creating something that takes time to mature, such as wine or cheese. This would require the player to continue gradually playing over a long period of time, and sounds like it would work as a background/idle game.
And finally, Kojima proposed a “forgetting game” that the player would have to “play through quickly.” In this concept, the main character gradually forgets important information and abilities if you take too long a break from the game. For example, if you don’t play every day, the main character will gradually forget things such as “how to fire their gun or what their job is.” This forgetfulness builds up until finally the player is unable to move. “Players would have to take a week off work or school to play it,” Kojima laughed.
It’s a hugely busy time for Kojima and his studio, Kojima Productions (now we know why!). As well as Death Stranding 2, Kojima is working on a live-action Death Stranding film with A24, the studio behind Academy Award winning films such as Everything Everywhere All At Once. He’s also working on OD for Xbox Game Studios, and video game and movie hybrid Physint for Sony.
There are no release dates for OD or Physint. Indeed, in January, Kojima revealed the ongoing video game actors strike had affected production on both titles, so it may be some time before we hear or see more.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
