As PlayStation's 30th anniversary nears, Hideo Kojima recalls moving to Tokyo solo with just the console and a TV to make Metal Gear Solid: "This shift significantly expanded my world"
Sep. 20, 2024The “shift” saw him transition to “roles in management and producing”
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If you can believe it, the PlayStation 1 is turning 30 in December, andHideo Kojimaof Metal Gear, Death Stranding, and Snatcher fame has been reminiscing about how its release ultimately helped evolve his career.
Overon Twitter, Kojima notesthat it’s also been 30 years since the initial release of Policenauts – a Japan-only graphic adventure game he wrote and directed. This also ended up releasing on the PS1 in 1996, although not before the team was “barely able to release Policenauts on 3DO” in 1995, several months after “the earthquake in Kobe,” he explains. In the spring following Policenauts' PlayStation release, however, Kojima made some big moves and “started a new company in Ebisu, and to create [Metal Gear Solid], I moved alone to Tokyo.” He adds: “The only thing I brought with me was a TV monitor and a PlayStation. I was even listening to CDs on it.”
Kojima explainsthat prior to the PS1’s release, when he was in his 20s, “I spent my time creating games for the closed domestic Japan market, focusing on platforms like MSX, PC, and the PC Engine due to organizational circumstances.” This changed after the PlayStation’s launch. “But 30 years ago, with the release of the PlayStation, I was fortunate to work on this subcultural platform aimed for the global market,” he says. “Around that time, I transitioned to not only development but also roles in management and producing, relocating myself to Tokyo – this shift significantly expanded my world.”
Since then, Kojima has obviously gone on to do even more exciting stuff – he went on to found Kojima Productions, which isn’t just working onDeath Stranding 2right now, but also the mysterious horror gameODand anew action-espionage title which has the working title ‘Physint.‘It’s strange to imagine how different his works could have been had he not made that “shift” he mentions – he seems to have a lot to thank the console for.
Splinter Cell director says Hideo Kojima’s auteur status is well deserved since “the result speaks for itself.”
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I’m one of GamesRadar+’s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield’s student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming’s news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you’re sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.
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