Interview: Hideo Kojima Doesn’t Want To Just Be ‘The Metal Gear Guy’

During a wide-ranging interview with EGM at Konami’s offices in Tokyo, Japan, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima offered up some revealing hints at the future of the series, the technology that will power upcoming games, and how he wants to be remembered beyond the franchise.

[TheLyonKing]

He's the ZOE guy in my opinion metal gear second

[wishingW3L]

he had nothing to do with ZOE though. He was just the producer....

[knowyourstuff]

I know right, plus he's a creative type so he hates being pigeonholed into anything, just like John Heder hated being thought of as nothing but Napolean Dynamite.

[360ICE]

I know right?
I always think of "Following" when I think of Christopher Nolan. Not Batman or Inception..................... ............................... ............................... .......

[Batzi]

Loving ZOE doesn't make him any less the "Metal Gear Guy". Metal Gear is FAR more popular and successful than ZOE, so whether you like it or not, Hideo Kojima is known for Metal Gear first and foremost and the man who pioneered the stealth genre.

[Shadonic]

I'm up for him making new things as well.

[abzdine]

i think he's wrong he should focus on keeping MGS what it has always been.

@Tomonobu Itagaki: OF course he can work on other games but MGS should always be in the frontline and i think that working on different projects drives the focus away. Keeping focus is the best way to do good things.

[Tomonobu Itagaki]

Spending too much time on a single franchise may decrease its quality in the long run. I'd rather see him diversifying his works, like continuing the Zone of the Enders series or investing in his old successes, Policenauts and Snatcher, or even develop new IPs.

Hideo Kojima is very talented, I have no doubt he can go beyond Metal Gear Solid and create great stuff.

[mochachino]

Too late. But it could be worse.

[soundslike]

So many people struggle their whole life to create ONE thing that makes an impression on the world and is considered a classic, and fail miserably, over and over again. He should be happy that he even has the luxury of the frustration of creating another classic.

[mochachino]

Well said.

[jannytime]

Its too late for that Kojima-san. He could create another iconic franchise for the next 25 years and he'll still be the metal gear guy to most, myself included.

[Jinkies]

Well maybe he should of slowed down the releases of the Metal Gear games. I mean he should of done MGS, then MGS2, make a new franchise, then MGS3, another sequel to the new franchise, MGS4, then make a 3rd franchise, sequel to the second new franchise then MGS5.

All these MGS spin offs, Peace Walker, Rising, Ground Zeroes, Metal Gear Acid, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops etc should of never of been done IF I didn't want to be known as that "Metal Gear Solid" guy.

[Soldierone]

If it makes you happy, YOU are known as Jinkies to me not "that MGS Guy" ;) haha

Joking aside I agree to an extent, because if I'm not mistaken he did try to get away he was always dragged back though. Konami see's low sales, needs a spike, and turns to MGS or soccer to get it.

[Nate-Dog]

Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes and Portable Ops are not spin offs.

[Jinkies]

Fine prequels then...still my point remains

He should of taken it slow and focused on new franchises.

[Nate-Dog]

@Jinkies: I would normally agree with that viewpoint but in fairness to Kojima he really doesn't push out games too quick. We had one game on PS1 (2 if you count Special Missions / Integral), 2 on PS2 and 2 this gen apart from the HD collection (one on PS3 and one on PSP). I didn't like MGS4 or Peace Walker that much but they were very different to the previous iterations and weren't basically carbon copies like Assassin's Creed games have turned into in a way.

[Batzi]

@Jinkies: Snake Eater is a prequel and probably one of the best games ever created and the best in the series to most Metal Gear fans. A prequel doesn't make the game a spin-off. Peace Walker was BRILLIANT!

[SephirothX21]

But he is Metal Gear.

[Soldierone]

The thing I'm scared of is Konami...

He is owned by Konami, which makes MGS owned by Konami. the second he steps away, Konami is going to start milking the hell out of MGS in every way. you think its getting there now, hell no, not compared to what they will do lol

Look at George Lucas with Star Wars. ALWAYS had control of it, never wanted to really milk it to death in Hollywood. He sells it, and right from the get go Disney has plans for 3 movies with more movies every year....Guarantee Star Wars will be hitting a lot more things and a lot more marketing as well.

The reason I'm worried is because he did try to step away and let someone else kind of take the hassle away, so we ended up with Rising. Konami didn't like that, so now we have another MGS title in the pipe to go along with it.

[Nate-Dog]

I don't think you can blame them. The game was stuck in development going nowhere after 1-2 years, Matsuyama kept going back and forth with the story saying this would happen, then it wouldn't happen, etc, kept saying you can do this and that in the game but we never saw any of it. But I do agree with your point that for Kojima it will be even harder for him to step away if he does try to because his first attempt at giving others a chance at the series failed so miserably.

[NYC_Gamer]

Then he should create brand new franchises

[patriotZero]

but he's metal gear guy and i'm not complaining

[rezzah]

From our point of view it is a nice thing, but people who are creators don't always like being known for a single creation of theirs. It limits them to that one aspect of their ability, so if or when they do do something different the masses would assume it not to be great due to their addiction for what the individual is known mostly for.

I don't mind if he continues making MGS games, I just hope it doesn't tear at him silently.

[Buljo]

It's kind of too late for that now, isn't it?

Still, Metal Gear is nothing to be ashamed of. He should be proud.

[Kennytaur]

Not the worst you could be known for, but feel free to make a new IP for Next Gen.

[WeskerChildReborned]

Hopefully Kojima would work on a Silent Hill game.

[Sarobi]

Even if he makes a new critically acclaimed AAA title.. he'll still be THE METAL GEAR GUY

[SageHonor]

Metal Gear is where he made himself. He'll always be that metal gear guy

I'd like to see him do something scary though!

[Heavenly King]

I dont care what he wants to be as long he continues to make Metal Gear games :)

[Paul85]

Kojima would give the silent hill franchise the revamp it deserves and needs. He will always be the mgs guy no matter if he starts new franchises or not. I just hope he keeps his main focus on mgs its my favorite game franchise of all time.

[creized1]

I realy want to see him make a horror game... make Horror be like it used to be, not this Resi 6 bullcr@p....

[Cryptcuzz]

I agree with the few above posts. I would also like to see Kojima do a horror game with his style of storytelling, original characters and villains, etc.

That would be so awesome. Who else agrees?