Today we’ll talk about the cult Japanese game designer and producer, who is considered the real "founding father" of the "stealth" genre in the gaming industry. Of course, we are talking about Hideo Kojima. The name Kojima is primarily associated with the popular Metal Gear series of video games. In addition, he also worked on two quests - Snatcher and Policenauts, and was involved in producing games such as Zone of Enders, Boktai, and Castlevania. At the moment, the maestro is working on his new project called Death Stranding, which is due out in the near future.
Photo Hideo Kojima can be seen in the article.
Childhood and youth
The future game designer was born in Japan, in the city of Tokyo. When he was 3 years old, the Hideo family decided to change their place of residence and moved to the western part of the country. At 13, the boy lost his father.
Hideo spent most of his childhood traveling and being alone. After Tokyo, his family first lived in the small town of Shirasaki, and then went to Hyogo Prefecture. After school, Kojima was left to his own devices, which left an imprint on his later life. According to him, during various trips and stops at hotels, the first thing he wants to do when he goes into his room is to turn on the TV in order to somehow dull the feeling of loneliness.
Creative plans
Before the creation of the games, Hideo Kojima dreamed of a career as an artist. His dreams often came up against misunderstanding on the part of his family, as Japan’s tough social foundations entailed obtaining prestigious and reliable jobs. Moreover, Uncle Kojima also dealt with illustration and always had problems with money. Due to the early death of his father and the unstable financial situation in the family, Hideo Kojima decided to try himself in something else.
As a result, he began writing short stories, which he then sent for publication in various Japanese magazines. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the length of all the stories sent by Kojima significantly exceeded the requirements, his attempts were not crowned with success. A little later, he joined his friend for the filming of films.
Professional activity
Officially, Kojima's career in the gaming industry began in 1986 when he was hired by Konami. His career with the company was to design games for games released on MSX. The first project, to which Hideo had his hand as an assistant director, was called Penguin Adventure. The game Lost World, developed by him personally, was canceled by the leadership of “Konami”.
The first game that managed to get the long-awaited release day was called Metal Gear. It was produced on MSX2 - a computer popular at that time in Japan and Europe. After some time, the game also gave birth to the American market, making a special release for the NES console. The uniqueness of Metal Gear was that the gameplay was a skillful combination of “stealth” and “action” - a novelty for the industry of that time. The user was given the opportunity to pass the game stealthily, avoiding open armed clashes.
In 1988, Kojima was accepted into the ranks of the developers of the adventure quest Snatcher. The protagonist of the game is Gilian Sid, a resident of the huge futuristic metropolis Neo-Kobe, who is trying to uncover the secret of his past. On the release, the project received a lot of criticism, but still managed to succeed.
Two years after Snatcher, Metal Gear continued under the name Solid Snake. The release of the game affected only the Japanese market. The gameplay formula has remained unchanged, and Kojima tried to make a significant emphasis on the plot component of the project.
Popularity of the Metal Gear Series
Kojima was dubbed the real star of the gaming industry after MGS (Metal Gear Solid) appeared on the PlayStation platform. MGS was the first project in the series to use 3D graphics. The continuation was not long in coming, and soon the fans received the second part of MG called Sons of Liberty. The project was created specifically for the PS2, whose technical capabilities made it possible to add realism to cinematographic videos, graphics and animation. The game received mixed reviews, mainly due to the fact that the main protagonist of the series, Solid Snake, was replaced by a new hero named Raiden.
In 2004, Konami began developing a remake of the first part of Metal Gear, which was renamed MGS: The Twin Snakes. The remake was released on the Nintendo Game Cube platform, and numerous videos were directed by renowned Asian director Ryuhei Kitamura.
Projects led by Kojima Productions
Soon, work began on the next parts of the Metal Gear series. Currently, there are 5 number games and several branches, among which MGS: Peace Walker and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance are especially noteworthy.
The latest story Metal Gear was released on PC. The game has undergone many design changes and innovations, but at the same time remains true to its tactical stealth gameplay. The Phantom Pain has been highly praised and praised by the gaming community.
What game did Hideo Kojima create after MG? Soon it became known that Kojima began working on a completely new project - Silent Hills. The game promised to be truly ambitious and intimidating, and the many-hour demo caused a real sensation in the industry. Unfortunately, the project was canceled, and Kojima left the Konami studio.
Farewell to Konami and work in an independent studio
Despite the influential name and what cult game Hideo Kojima created, he was not kept in the ranks of Konami. There are rumors about a possible conflict and a waste of money for the company. In the end, it was decided that Kojima would leave Konami, and Kojima Productions would cease to exist.
Just the day after Kojima left, he announced the re-establishment of the former studio. Now Kojima Productions has become an independent organization, whose employees, under the leadership of Kojima, are engaged in the creation of a completely new project for PS4 - Death Stranding.