Hideo Kojima says he was “opposed by everyone,” when he decided to start his company and go independent, with his “peers, colleagues, and relatives” all telling him it would never work.
In a longform post on Kojima’s X (formerly Twitter) account, the iconic game designer explained why he went independent and why he considers his work as “no longer a job” with no plans to retire.
“The reason why I am independent and advocate a life-long career is because for me, “creating things” is no longer a job. That’s why there is no retirement. Creating things is living,” Kojima said.
“In the game industry, there are very few people who have succeeded in becoming independent from a major game production studio, whether in Japan or abroad. Even eight years ago, when I started my own company, I was opposed by everyone, including my peers, colleagues, and relatives, who said, “It will never work!”. They said it was impossible without the financial and organizational strength of a company,” the post continued. Kojima Productions notably spawned after a rather spicy split from Konami, where he’d worked for almost three decades on the Metal Gear Solid franchise.
“However, someone must prove that that is an old-fashioned way of thinking. Young creators must be given freedom of choice,” Kojima added. “This is one of the reasons why I continue to “create things.”
Kojima Productions is now eight years old, with the company currently working on Death Stranding 2 and the recently revealed OD featuring Sophia Lillis, Hunter Shafer, and Udo Kier. This is on top of the recent announcement that Kojima Productions had partnered with A24 for a live-action adaptation of the first Death Stranding game. It looks like Kojima is keeping himself busy, and given he doesn’t plan to retire, we’ll surely see even more from the game designer in the years to come.
Lead Image Credit: Kojima Productions
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