When it comes to Hideo Kojima, subtlety has never been his thing. The man who gave us cardboard box stealth missions, psychic bosses who read your memory card, and a delivery game starring a fetus in a jar doesn’t really care if his stories confuse, alienate, or outright frustrate you.
That’s part of the magic and madness of Kojima’s work. He’s not trying to make something for everyone. In fact, he’s pretty adamant about the opposite.
In a recent interview with Edge, Kojima made it perfectly clear:
“I’m not interested in making something that appeals to everyone.”
That may sound like a polite way of saying deal with it, but if you’ve followed his career through Metal Gear Solid, Snatcher, and Death Stranding, you know that this is a deeply rooted creative philosophy.
Sure, Kojima says he listens to feedback… to a degree.
“I do listen to criticism, if the controls need tweaking or if a camera pan is too slow or too fast.
But when it comes to the story, the themes, the unfiltered Kojima-ness of it all? Untouchable:
“I don’t alter themes or story based on feedback. Of course, I want people to play my game, so I must listen to them to a certain extent.”
Kojima revealed that during early playtests of Death Stranding, “around 60% [were] calling it a terrible game.” His response to that was that it is “A good balance.” It’s safe to say he’s doubling down on making games that can’t be boiled down to a mainstream pitch.
Even Norman Reedus, who stars in Death Stranding, couldn’t quite wrap his head around Kojima’s creative process: “I don’t think anybody can understand what’s going on in that guy’s brain.”
With the AAA space becoming increasingly homogenous with endless sequels, remakes, and safe bets, Kojima’s refusal to sand down the edges is a rare kind of rebellion. You might not always “get” his games, and that’s exactly how he wants it.
Via: GamesRadar+
