Hideo Kojima: “When I Started My Own Company, I Was Opposed By Everyone”

Hideo Kojima was on a mission when he formed Kojima Productions following the launch of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. In a tweet on X (formerly known as Twitter), Kojima-san talked at length about why he’s now an independent developer, advocating a lifelong career in the video game industry.

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. One more thing. In the game industry, there are very few people who have succeeded in becoming… pic.twitter.com/48v9uWOk01

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) December 16, 2023

Game development is an industry that requires many skilled employees in various departments. It creates a lot of technical jobs and comes with its share of problems. After decades of work and making a name for himself through the intricate stories of the Metal Gear franchise, Hideo Kojima no longer feels that “creating things” is a job for him which leads to the retirement concept’s elimination. 

One more thing. 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.”

When Hideo Kojima split from Konami and became independent, the people around him were against it citing the significance of a company’s financial & organizational strength. Considering this an old-fashioned line of thought, Kojima decided to go down this path to prove that young creators need to be given the freedom of choice. This also ties into the concept of how creativity is limited by certain corporate restrictions.

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Kojima-san is known for pioneering the stealth genre with the tactical espionage action series, Metal Gear Solid. He’s also worked on other notable franchises such as the mecha-focused Zone of the Enders. His most recent work, Death Stranding, is a rather bold yet unique take on video games. It garnered praise for innovative gameplay and multiplayer mechanics with a sequel currently in the works.

Another of Kojima Productions’ projects, Overdose, was revealed at The Game Awards earlier this month. There’s limited information available about it at the moment. However, eXputer reported on a leak related to the title that showed early gameplay footage. The horror game is currently in development with Unreal Engine 5 and utilizes modern technologies. A release window has not been announced.