Inside the head of 'rockstar developer' Hideo Kojima
In this NZ exclusive, we sit down with the legendary game developer to talk about his creative philosophies and his highly anticipated new game, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Few creatives ever reach the level of an auteur. Japanese video game developer Hideo Kojima is one such visionary for whom no other title quite fits.
He was initially hailed as “the first rockstar developer” after the phenomenal blockbuster success of his game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, back on the PlayStation 2.
In an era of run-and-gun games, MGS2 introduced stealth-based gameplay, matching this new mechanic with a fully realised cinematic presentation that pushed Sony’s powerhouse console to its limits.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
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But more revelatory, and what really made Kojima gaming’s first rockstar, was the game’s highbrow philosophies and singular artistic identity.
It explored how control of information shapes society, questioned identity and free will and contemplated the battle for truth in a world manipulated by fake news, artificial intelligence, post-truth politics and digital surveillance. The game was released in 2001, but its themes are startlingly prescient today, 24 years later.
A global hit, it was instantly hailed as a classic and went on to sell over 7 million copies. It catapulted Kojima into the spotlight, and today MGS2 is regarded as not only one of the greatest video games of all time but also a landmark of artistic expression.
In a boardroom at PlayStation’s Sydney HQ, Kojima is holding court. He sits beside his interpreter, Aki Saito, wearing a very cool, pitch-black Death Stranding 2 World Tour T-shirt emblazoned with the word SYDNEY beneath the title.
With his trademarked sharp-edged, square glasses, stylishly tousled hair, black jeans and sneakers, he looks every bit the rockstar developer and not at all like a 61-year-old man.
He has travelled to Australia to talk to a handful of game journalists about his highly anticipated game sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, before appearing on a panel conversation at the Sydney Film Festival with his good friend, Mad Max director, George Miller.
In 2015, Kojima shocked the industry by leaving Konami, the company he’d worked at for 30 years and the owners of his Metal Gear Solid franchise. A corporate restructure and change in direction threatened to strip him of his artistic and creative freedoms, so he chose to walk. Even for a figure as legendary as Kojima, starting a studio of his own was considered a bold and risky move.
So, four years later, when Kojima Productions released its debut game, Death Stranding on the PlayStation 4, expectations were sky high. This was Kojima unchained, freed from corporate shackles and boardroom interference, and boy, did he deliver.
DS was a haunting, genre-defying game about connection in a post-apocalyptic world shaped by death, grief and the afterlife. Its world was often startling and deeply unsettling, with design cues taken from filmmakers like David Lynch, David Cronenberg and of course, Miller, who at the panel talk Kojima will refer to as “my master”.
It was another critical and commercial success. The game was nominated for Game of the Year and went on to sell over five million copies. This week, its sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, was released.
“I've been creating games throughout my career, but Death Stranding 2 was the most difficult challenge ever,” Kojima says, explaining that the first few years of its production took place during the pandemic. “Making DS2 wasn't work. It was more like a mission.”
There were the difficulties of isolation, social distancing, and the mental burden that came with them.
“We all experienced the pandemic. You weren't able to meet people face-to-face. I had all the tasks decided, but I couldn’t meet people, or scan people, or shoot with people,” he says. “The staff were all remote. I thought, ‘I can't pull this off.’ I almost gave up.”
He sighs and says, “I became sick as well. I thought it was the end of the world.”
Death Standing was critical and commercial success. The game was nominated for Game of the Year and went on to sell over five million copies.
Supplied
These combined struggles led to a profound reworking of the game’s themes and ideas, even though production was well underway. It was the sort of major pivot a corporate boardroom would never have approved.
“I rewrote everything that I had for DS2,” Kojima says. The pandemic had forced everyone online. Work, socialising, and even concerts were all conducted via video feed. He began to question not just the cost of this digital transition, but also the dehumanising effects and the dangers of relying on digital dependence for human connection.
“I felt a lot of things during the pandemic. I had to give a warning of what our digital society would be like. So that's what I put in DS2, or it naturally was there after that experience.”
With the game now finally out — and advance reviews awarding it perfect 10/10 scores — Kojima says he’s already thinking about the future.
“I'm always thinking, even now,” he smiles. “I'm thinking of writing the next Death Stranding, but I have a lot of new projects and things I want to do.”
His creative thinking is influenced not only by themes he wants to explore, but also how he can best push the boundaries of current technology.
“What idea can I create?” he says, before saying that time also plays a key role. With game development taking three to four years, the idea he chooses today must stay ahead of future trends. Once a project is locked in, time moves quickly. But, always, there’s that prized flexibility.
“Once that idea is decided, the staff might think it's unchangeable, but it's not,” he smiles. “I can change a lot if there's a new idea, a new concept. I could change a lot of things every day”
His goal, he says, is to build immersive worlds that resonate with players in unexpected ways, whether that’s through an emotional journey, recoiling at its twisted imagery or being shocked by a sudden jump scare.
“I want someone to feel something and then to talk about the theme they experienced, or to reflect upon what's happening in their society after playing the game and receiving some message,” he says.
“And I want you to take what you experienced in the game and apply it to your real life. Like, for instance, connecting with people not just in your Death Stranding world, but in your real world every day.”
“This is another reason why I'm doing this World Tour. I couldn't go out, or travel or meet people over the past five years.”
Then, Hideo Kojima, the world’s first rockstar developer, grins and says,“I thought it was about time.”
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is available now on the PlayStation 5
