Hideo Kojima

Ishmael Carter
January 27, 2016

In September of 2015, the highly anticipated Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was
released to the general public. The fifth and final installment in an extremely popular series,
everyone had high expectations for the high profile release from Konami. The game was
received with great acclaim, earning praise from popular video game review websites like IGN,
Game Informer and Destructoid. An IGN reviewer went as far as to say The Phantom Pain is
the kind of game I thought would never exist one where every minute gameplay detail has true
purpose. Its lack of story focus is sure to be divisive for the Metal Gear faithful, but the resulting
emphasis on my story and the tales of Espionage Action, easily make it my favorite in the
series1 (IGN). The game made $179 Million in the first 24 hours after its release2. The Metal
Gear franchise is a staple in the video game community, selling over 40 million copies
worldwide since 19983. Most attribute the success of the game to the games designer, Hideo
Kojima.
Hideo Kojima is a video game director, producer, writer, and designer from Tokyo, Japan. Most
of his career was spent with Konami, the Japanese corporation responsible for a plethora of video
games, toys, trading cards, and other mediums of entertainment. Kojima is most recognized for

1 Ingenito, Vince, Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain Review, IGN, last modified
October 15,2015. http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/08/24/metal-gear-solid-5-thephantom-pain-review.
2 Boston, Blake, Metal Gear Solid 5 Made $179 Million in 24 Hours, Game Rant, last
modified November 27, 2015, http://gamerant.com/metal-gear-solid-5-sales-day-one/

3 Shaikh, Sehran, Metal Gear Solid Series has now sold over 40 million units worldwide,
Gamepur, last modified, December 25, 2014,http://www.gamepur.com/news/17450-metalgear-solid-series-has-now-sold-over-40-million-units-worldwide-says.html

his work on the Metal Gear series but has also had a hand in popular video games like the
Snatcher and Policenauts games and the Zone of the Enders Series.
Kojima is known for his creative approach to game design. He often finds inspiration in
the movies he watches and social issues in the real world to create elaborate stories for his
games. He embraces western technology that is not commonly used in the Eastern Hemisphere
and he always encourages making the impossible possible4. He stresses the idea that the
impossible is only what you have never experienced. Kojima uses all aspects of technology to
complement each other as he explains that with each type of technology (hardware, software, and
game design specifically) used to create a video game, the list of things one cant accomplish in
that game gets smaller. During his keynote at the 2009 Game Developers Conference in San
Francisco, he explains how the original Metal Gear Solid was created by branching out to other
disciplines. The initial Metal Gear Solid was intended to be played on an older system, the
MSX2. The technology hindered the amount of sprites computer graphics that can be moved as
a single being that could be placed on the screen without them displaying poorly. While his
intention was to create an action game with combat, he realized he had to think outside of the
box in order to display a desirable amount of sprites while still making the gameplay enjoyable.
He turned to his knowledge of game design and decided that an action game with no enemies
would not be suitable, but an action game where the goal is to avoid the enemies would be. From
this came the innovative, stealthy game play that has made the Metal Gear Solid series so
popular. Over the years he introduced other novel and immersive gameplay mechanics like the
first person display and rain splatter on the player view. Kojimas ventures have inspired some of
4 Kohler, Chris, GDC: Metal Gear Solids Hideo Kojima Embraces Western Technology,
Wired, last modified March 26, 2009,http://www.wired.com/2009/03/gdc-live-blog-m/

the most popular games over the last decade and a half: Splinter Cell, Hitman, and Assassins
Creed, among many others.
After the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, there were rumors of Kojimas
departure from Konami and in winter of 2015 Kojima confirmed these rumors. He has started a
new studio by the name of Kojima Productions and has partnered with Sony and PlayStation5.
Many believe Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to be his magnum opus and feel he left
Konami on a great note but Kojima still has plans to release a compelling franchise6 with
PlayStation. At the age of 52, Hideo Kojima has many years left, many ideas to follow through
with, and many fans looking forward to seeing what he has planned for the future.

5 McWhertor, Michael, Hideo Kojima forms new studio and partnership with Sony, confirms
departure from Konami, Polygon, last modified December 16,
2015,http://www.polygon.com/2015/12/16/10270432/hideo-kojima-new-studio-playstation

References
Boston, Blake, Metal Gear Solid 5 Made $179 Million in 24 Hours, Game Rant, last modified
November 27, 2015. http://gamerant.com/metal-gear-solid-5-sales-day-one/
Ingenito, Vince, Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain Review, IGN, last modified
October 15,2015. http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/08/24/metal-gear-solid-5-the-phantompain-review.
Kohler, Chris, GDC: Metal Gear Solids Hideo Kojima Embraces Western Technology,
Wired, last modified March 26, 2009. http://www.wired.com/2009/03/gdc-live-blog-m/
McWhertor, Michael, Hideo Kojima forms new studio and partnership with Sony,
confirms departure from Konami, Polygon, last modified December 16, 2015.
http://www.polygon.com/2015/12/16/10270432/hideo-kojima-new-studio-playstation
Peckham, Matt, Interview: Hideo Kojima Talks About Metal Gear Solid Vs Humor,
Violence and Finality, TIME, last modified June 12, 2014.
http://time.com/2862423/interview-hideo-kojima/
Shaikh, Sehran, Metal Gear Solid Series has now sold over 40 million units
worldwide, Gamepur, last modified, December 25, 2014.
http://www.gamepur.com/news/17450-metal-gear-solid-series-has-now-sold-over-40-millionunits-worldwide-says.html