A true authority in the world of video games, Hideo Kojima is a creator who has shaken up the industry by offering absolutely unique experiences. Passionate about cinema and fueled by an ambition that goes beyond understanding, this perfectionist is at the origin of one of the greatest sagas of all time: Metal Gear Solid. On the occasion of the release of his new game, Death Stranding 2, we decided to take a look back at the career of this genius designer, and in particular his highly publicized separation from Konami.
Hideo Kojima was born on August 24, 1963, in Setagaya, Tokyo. The youngest of three children, he was only four years old when his father, a pharmacist by profession, was forced to move to Osaka for work. The change of environment was so harsh that the boy preferred to stay at home, watching television and making figurines. His family even went so far as to establish a surprising ritual: "At one time, my parents established a family tradition: every night, we watched a movie together. I wasn't allowed to go to bed until the movie was over, unlike most children. My parents were big fans of westerns, European cinema, and horror in particular. They didn't just show me children's films. I even saw the sex scenes." Nurtured by all these feature films, Hideo Kojima—who moved once again to Kawanishi in Kansai—developed a significant cinematic culture. He grew up with a passion for the seventh art, but experienced a painful ordeal at the age of thirteen. Orphaned by his father, Hideo Kojima must learn to survive with his mother and two other brothers, which is not always easy.
From cinema to video games
Foster of films from a variety of backgrounds, Hideo Kojima is thrilled when he discovers a Super 8 camera owned by a friend. With him and other friends, the small group began shooting amateur films and even went so far as to charge 50 yen for viewing. Deep down, he was certain: he would work in the film industry! But the road to reaching the sets was long and it required a first university enrollment.
This is how he found himself studying economics around very serious people, so much so that he spent his free time writing novels. Kojima then imagined this: "This quest was also linked to cinema, because I wanted to win prizes for my novels and I thought that if that happened, I might have the chance to make a film." It was at this moment that he discovered the Famicom, the Nintendo console that would become the NES in our country. His blood boiled when he realized that this medium brought together everything he loved: the storyline, the design, the music... Exactly like an interactive film! He said it was a dream solution, especially since no one around him, friends or family, was pushing him to join the world of cinema.
Difficult beginnings
Even if it meant lying to his friends and telling them he worked in finance, he made a surprising choice: "I started looking for a company to work for and I opted for Konami, not because of the type of games they were producing at the time, but rather because they were publicly traded," he explains. "They were the only game company to be publicly traded at the time; even Nintendo didn't have that honor." It was in 1986, at the age of 23 to be precise, that the young Hideo Kojima was hired by the Konami studio. The Japanese, passionate about the seventh art and video games, is full of ambition, but the beginnings are delicate.
Recruited as a planner and designer, Hideo Kojima was sent to the MSX department, a famous Japanese computer company, to design new titles. Without experience, he failed to develop his first game, Lost Warld (an action game with a masked female warrior) and was mocked after only six months at the company. He recalls: "In the entire company, I was the only one who had never finished a development. And so, instead of greeting me in the morning, they told me, 'At least make one game before I die!'"
Annoyed, Hideo Kojima considered leaving Konami, but was stopped by someone who believed in him and who would become a true mentor: Naoki Matsui. Matsui, who would leave Konami at the end of development of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game on Game Boy, would give him the keys to resist and turn the situation around. Hideo Kojima enthuses: "He was a great guy! He discovered that I had failed with my first project. To cheer me up, he invited me to a restaurant and gave me lots of advice. Without him, I probably would never have finished my ideas." Following this meeting, he joined the Penguin Adventure team and learned, more calmly, the ropes of the profession. He was then asked to create a war game, but he took everyone by surprise. Metal Gear Solid, the cult saga A cinema enthusiast, Kojima had a vision to develop a game based on the concept of the film The Great Escape, where it was a question of sneaking around to achieve one's objectives, all with a real storyline. This game would become Metal Gear (MSX) and lead to the creation of Metal Gear Solid, the unforgettable PlayStation saga. Which was really not a given, as he confides: “When I went to see my superiors with my concept, the response was scathing: “this beginner has already failed once and he comes to present us with his bizarre idea where we flee rather than fight!” I really thought about leaving but I went to see one of my managers (Naoki Matsui), he helped me and took me under his wing by acting as guarantor to management. So much so that they finally accepted my concept.»
For years, Hideo Kojima would bring this saga to life and become a true star within Konami. But to achieve this level of perfection, the Japanese director was very meticulous with his teams and demanded such a level of detail that schedules dragged on, blowing the budget. For several console generations, Hideo Kojima always had the support of his management, who were assured of selling millions of copies of the Metal Gear Solid saga. This trust also allowed him to create other, more personal works, such as the Zone of the Enders and Boktai series.
The Point of No Return
A shift occurred during the development of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. In March 2015, rumors began to circulate about a very tense internal situation. Sources claimed that Kojima's departure from Konami was imminent, due to an internal restructuring. Undeniably, the management being put in place does not have the same vision as the previous one, particularly regarding the importance of video games. Everything will then accelerate. As part of the restructuring, journalists reveal that Konami has blocked access to the internet, emails, and phone calls from the company for all executives at Hideo Kojima's studio (including the person in question). It is even specified that they are now acting as freelancers to complete the game and that they are no longer employees, contractually speaking.
Determined to complete Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain in the best possible conditions, Hideo Kojima and his team are trying, as best they can, to resist the pressure. Deep down, they know the studio will be dissolved following the game's release. Despite denials to counter the information in the trade press, the situation is catastrophic. In April 2015, another highly anticipated production, P.T., considered the future Silent Hill, was removed from the PlayStation 4 digital store. The point of no return was confirmed with the pure and simple removal of the Kojima Productions studio logo from the official Metal Gear website and the official game cover.
After around thirty years at Konami, Hideo Kojima left the company on October 9, 2015. The end of development on MGS V was extremely abrupt and for many, Konami never regained the aura it once had despite some rather successful game releases in recent times. For his part, Hideo Kojima managed to bounce back by creating his own studio (named Kojima Productions, as a nod to the past), surrounding himself with the right people and receiving support from across the industry. Death Stranding and its sequel are the result of this incredible journey and it's a safe bet that we have one of the games of the summer.
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