Shortly after sharing several discarded video game concepts—including a "Forgetting Game" where the protagonist loses crucial memories and skills if the player takes extended breaks—Hideo Kojima has disclosed that he has entrusted his staff with a USB drive containing a wealth of game ideas to be used after his passing.
As reported by VGC, Kojima shared this somber revelation with Edge magazine, reflecting on the shift in his perspective that occurred during the pandemic.
“Reaching 60 was less significant than what I experienced during the pandemic,” he stated. “I became seriously ill at that time and also underwent eye surgery. Before that, I never felt old; my age didn’t register, and I assumed I could keep creating indefinitely.”
“But then I fell ill and couldn't create anything. I witnessed many people around me passing away. I was confronted with mortality. Of course, I recovered, but it made me wonder, ‘How many years do I have left to make a game or a film?’ Maybe I have only ten years?”
This period of reflection not only led Kojima to initiate multiple new projects but also to create the USB drive as a "sort of will," intended to help secure the future of Kojima Productions after his death.
“I gave my personal assistant a USB stick with all my concepts on it, much like a will,” he explained. “Perhaps the studio could continue creating things after I'm gone… This is a genuine concern for me: what becomes of Kojima Productions? I don't want them to merely manage our existing intellectual property.”
This week, IGN covered Kojima's thoughts on integrating the passage of real-world time into video games. He discussed time-based mechanics from his past titles and unveiled unused concepts, including an idea that was ultimately cut from the upcoming Death Stranding 2: On The Beach.
“I've considered having characters' hair grow in a game,” Kojima mentioned on the latest episode of his Japanese radio podcast, KOJI10. “Initially, in Death Stranding 2, I planned for Sam's beard to grow gradually over time, requiring the player to shave it. Without maintenance, Sam would appear disheveled,” he elaborated. “However, since Norman Reedus is a major star, I didn't want to make him look uncool!” The director noted that he might still incorporate this feature into a future game.
Kojima also revealed three game concepts that center on real-time aging as a core mechanic. The first is a life simulation: “The player begins as a newborn, progresses through childhood, and gradually becomes an adult. In the game, you confront various foes. Similar to the prior example (MGS3's The End), if you continue playing, your character will age into their 70s or 80s. At this stage, you'll be weaker, and your eyesight will deteriorate. As a teenager, you can run faster, but by 60, you'll slow down,” Kojima explained. While the character is physically stronger in youth, they gain wisdom and experience with age, which would influence combat strategy. “But no one would buy it!” Kojima added, though others on the podcast expressed excitement about such a uniquely "Kojima-esque" game.
Another concept involves a game where you nurture something that matures over time, like wine or cheese. This would encourage steady, long-term play, functioning almost as a background or idle game.
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Finally, Kojima proposed a "forgetting game" that players must complete rapidly. In this design, the protagonist steadily loses vital knowledge and abilities if the player takes too long between sessions. For instance, skipping daily play might cause the character to forget "how to fire a weapon or what their mission is." This amnesia accumulates until the character becomes incapacitated. “Players would need to take a week off from work or school to finish it,” Kojima joked.
Kojima and his studio, Kojima Productions, are currently exceptionally busy (now we know why!). In addition to Death Stranding 2, Kojima is collaborating with A24—the studio behind Oscar-winning films like Everything Everywhere All At Once—on a live-action Death Stranding adaptation. He is also developing OD for Xbox Game Studios and Physint, a hybrid video game and film project, for Sony.
No release dates have been announced for OD or Physint. In fact, Kojima noted in January that the ongoing video game actors' strike impacted both projects, so it may be a while before further updates are shared.
