Hideo Kojima: The Kikizo Interview 2009

Catch-up with Konami's top creator to discuss reinvigorating Kojima Productions, fusion with western developers, rising costs, MGS Touch and, inevitably, Metal Gear Solid 5.

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Kikizo: The first MGS was anti-militaristic, and touched on subjects that are relevant even today such as weapons of mass destruction; MGS2 dealt with contemporary problems like information control. Would you agree that the third and fourth installments include more 'fantastic' elements?

Kojima: Actually, I haven't tried to make the games any more fantastic than before. I took the same approach as I did for MGS1 and MGS2. For MGS3 though, perhaps for the younger audience that didn't live through the 60s, I guess it seems more fantasy-like to them. But for me and others who grew up during that time period, I think we could relate it to the things that happened during that time period. For MGS4, or any other Metal Gear game, I always tend to draw on something that seems to be a 'threat' to society in the near future - maybe one or two years from the present time. So things like Blackwater in Iraq, I was able to look at these issues with MGS4, and so I don't really consider it a fantasy-like approach.

Metal Gear Solid Touch

Kikizo: Speaking of Metal Gear 1 and 2, have you ever considered doing remakes of the first two games?

Kojima: I think creating that now wouldn't really be 'cool' [laughs]. I'm not saying that I shouldn't do it, but I think that I probably won't. But if someone else were to do it... that could be an interesting approach. For Metal Gear, I think Kojima Productions should do it themselves. What you expect in a Metal Gear is probably only possible by Kojima Productions. I don't know if other Konami studios could really achieve a satisfactory result for the user. But if I get an offer from an overseas company saying they really want to do it, that could be an option. But myself - I personally don't think it's on the cards.

Kikizo: MGS4 was a massive project - are you thinking of doing smaller projects to relax, now that it's done?

Kojima: No, I don't think so. Anything I want to really get involved in will be a bigger project. Personally, though, I would like to do smaller projects, but when I think of the time I have left living on this earth, I would rather spend that on bigger things!

Kikizo: You've said several times that MGS4 is really, truly the last MGS game, but other comments make Metal Gear Solid 5 seem inevitable - do you feel pressured by the success of the series to keep it going?

Kojima: Sure, there is definitely pressure. We don't belong wholly to Konami, so that pressure might be lighter, but since Kojima Productions is a part of Konami and Konami does the business side of things, yeah, I feel pressure there, that there's a need for it to be a successful, ongoing series.

Kikizo: Thanks for your time.

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