Hideo Kojima’s Family Told Him to Retire Post Konami But He Persevered

The infamous Hideo Kojima-Konami split of 2015 was the talk of the town for over a year. What seemed like a never-ending feud only began to die down after the Metal Gear creator set up his own studio, Kojima Productions, and went on to strike a partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment for the release of the studio’s debut game, Death Stranding.

It’s been three years since then, and on the third birthday of Kojima Productions, the developer decided to reflect upon his journey following his departure from Konami.

Over on Twitter, Kojima revealed that he was 52 years old when he decided to set up his own company and it wasn’t easy. His family and some of those around him told him to retire but fellow developers discouraged him from giving up.

“Friends in the world who are devoting their lives for creatives said to me that ‘there are people out there waiting for your work so keep creating for them,'” he wrote.

In a separate tweet, Kojima said that after three years of working on Death Stranding “relentlessly”, he finally feels “ordinary happiness.”

“When I established Kojima Productions, I had only the logo but no staffs, techs, engines or even the office,” he continued. “I started the concept while filling all the needs including the casts.”

Kojima’s tweets garnered messages of support not just from fans worldwide but also from industry professionals including God of War director, Cory Barlog, who said that he was “really looking forward” to seeing Kojima Productions’ work (and so are we).

Speaking of Death Stranding, Kojima said that he reunited with Norman Reedus in 2016. Once he was explained the concept, Reedus accepted his role.

“He trusted me starting over my career without reading the script,” Kojima recalled.

Death Stranding is in development for the PlayStation 4.

[Source: Hideo Kojima (Twitter)]