Who is Hideo Kojima? A Spotlight on the Iconic Auteur

Who is Hideo Kojima? As is the case with any notorious icon, the answer to that question depends on who you ask. Some describe him as a genius, giving him credit for introducing the concept of cinematic storytelling to the video game medium via Metal Gear Solid. Some say that he is a pretentious weirdo, coasting by on style over substance. Others will tell you that he is an underdog creator; an inspiring example of how one person’s art can allow them to break free of the constraints of an overbearing corporation to allow them to continue challenging their audience.

Hideo Kojima’s Early Days

Born in Setagaya, Tokyo, Hideo’s family relocated to Osaka when he was four years old. The move caused him to lose touch with his childhood friends and he spent many of his formative years as an isolated child. It was during this time that Hideo developed his deep love for cinematic storytelling, with his family forming a household tradition to watch a movie together every night, and watch it to the end credits before going to bed.

When Kojima was 13, his father sadly passed away. This left the family having to deal with some economic hardships and had a profound effect on teenage Hideo. After leaving school, he enrolled in an economics course at university. While still a student at the university, Hideo began looking for a way into the film industry, although he was met with several dead ends. Around this time, he saw what Nintendo was doing with the Famicom and realised that a career in video games may be the way to go.

In that era when Kojima was a student, a career making video games was practically unheard of. When he told his university friends about his intentions they dismissed the idea and didn’t offer him any encouragement to pursue it. Hideo became embarrassed to share his real goals with people, instead preferring to tell a lie that he was planning on entering into the financial sector. Despite all of this, he managed to land a job at Konami in 1986.

What is Hideo Kojima known for?

After working as the Assistant Director on his first project titled Penguin Adventure, he was then asked to take over another project, which would go on to become the first Metal Gear game. The team at Konami who were previously working on the project were struggling with the hardware limitations of the time and thus the combat sequences were proving to be a challenge. Hideo’s way of getting around this was to put way more focus on the element of stealth, and just like that a whole new gaming genre was born.

Following the release of the first Metal Gear, he subsequently worked on an adventure game called Snatcher, which allowed him to flex some of his storytelling muscles. With that said though, he was still limited by the hardware of the era, and this continued to be the case with the next projects he worked on, (Policenauts and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake,) however the seeds were clearly being planted for something greater.

In the mid-1990s, Kojima would be tasked with bringing Konami’s popular stealth series into the 3D realm and work began on Metal Gear Solid. The game would eventually release in 1998 and it was this title that truly broke new ground. This title changed the game in so many ways, the most obvious of which was the technical advancements that allowed for things like cinematic cinematography to take place during fully voice-acted cutscenes. Who is Hideo Kojima? He is a pioneer.

Small stylish visual details were also now manageable, such as footprints being left in the snow, puddles that reflect the surrounding environment, characters’ breath being visible in cold locations, and a stealth camo effect rendering the user almost totally transparent. The game’s audio was just as cinematic as its visuals, with a sweeping orchestral score punctuating the action and layered sound effects being implemented to go along with the iconic VO performances.

Beyond these surface-level aspects of cinematic brilliance though were the deep, complex underlying themes that MGS tackled. Never before had complicated concepts like war veterans suffering from PTSD, living with the guilt of committing patricide, or militaristic government control been explored on this level. MGS never patronized its audience, it forced us to deal with sometimes disturbing concepts and blurred the previously clearly defined lines between heroes and villains.

Due to the immense critical and commercial success of Metal Gear Solid, combined with the launch of the PlayStation 2, Konami was eager for Kojima to begin work on a sequel as soon as possible. In 2001, MGS 2: Sons of Liberty launched with players taking control of Raiden this time around thanks to a now iconic bait-and-switch that Kojima pulled on players who had become overly enamored with the legendary Solid Snake. The game is still revered for its prophetic predictions for the future.

It may be hard to believe now, but Kojima actually intended for Sons of Liberty to be the final Metal Gear title. However, Konami was not going to let their cash cow die that easily, and thus Hideo began work on MGS 3: Snake Eater. This time around he took us back to the Cold War era of the 1960s, telling the story of how Naked Snake became Big Boss. Staff at Konami then began receiving death threats for failing to conclude the story of Solid Snake and thus MGS 4: Guns of the Patriots was released.

After developing and releasing MGS: Peace Walker, Kojima stated that MGS V, (comprising of both Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain,) would be his final Metal Gear game and he meant it this time. Strictly speaking, this statement did prove to be true. Sadly, however, Hideo was not allowed to leave Konami on his own terms, even after everything he had given them. Instead, the completion of MGS V was rushed, the game was released with content missing, and Kojima was out on his own.

Not only that, but this fallout also led to the cancellation of one of the most anticipated projects in modern gaming. An infamous demo was released in 2014 called P.T, which turned out to be a playable teaser for a new Silent Hills game starring Norman Reedus and was being developed by Kojima in collaboration with legendary director Guillermo Del Toro. The demo was terrifying and fans continue to wonder to this day what the final product could have looked like.

Who is Hideo Kojima? He is a man who always lands on his feet. Just a few months after the Konami debacle, Kojima announced that he had established his own independent studio and would be working with PlayStation to develop an original franchise. The following year, Death Stranding was revealed, with the game finally being released in 2019. 

Design Choices, Influences, and Philosophies

Although Hideo Kojima has stated that The Portopia Serial Murder Case and Super Mario Bros were the games that inspired him to enter the industry, his first love is movies. These influences are abundantly clear across the Metal Gear Solid franchise in particular. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is the reason that Solid Snake’s first name is Dave and Otacon’s is Hal. Less on-the-nose Kubrickian themes are also present in his other games.

Who is Hideo Kojima? He is a fan of cinema. Another of his major influences is the work of John Carpenter, with Snake’s iconic eye patch and cigar combo being based directly on Kurt Russell’s character from Escape From New York/LA. Russell’s character in those movies was Snake Plissken and in MGS 2, Snake uses the name Iroquois Plissken as a pseudonym. The arctic setting of The Thing also bears a strong resemblance to Shadow Moses from MGS 1.

Lee Van Cleef also starred in Escape From New York, but it was his iconic appearances in Sergio Leone’s For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and The Ugly that inspired the design of Revolver Ocelot. MGS 3: Snake Eater also takes a lot of influence from the James Bond films released in the 1960s starring Sean Connery. Lastly, although Kojima claims to be a wimp when it comes to scary films, the horror elements present in MGS, PT, and Death Stranding all likely come from Japanese horror films.

Who is Hideo Kojima? He is a fan of David Bowie. Beyond the world of film, Kojima is also a huge fan of music. Influences from his favorite artists can also be seen across his work. Hideo is a huge Bowie fan, hence why Major Zero called himself Major Tom before changing his name. Depeche Mode, The Cure, and New Order are also favorites of his.

In terms of Kojima’s philosophy, a lot of different themes are explored across the MGS series. Who is Hideo Kojima? He is a man born and raised in the East, yet he clearly has a good understanding of how things operate in the Western world. From socio-political issues to militaristic and scientific endeavors, Hideo has a great deal to say about these issues and uses a multitude of characters to get his points across.

First and foremost, he is clearly not a fan of nuclear warfare, as much of the MGS franchise is spent arguing against the concept. He also tackles other heavy themes like the real power controlling the US president, corruption within the military-industrial complex and big pharma, disinformation being perpetuated by the internet, (when the internet was still in its infancy,) both romantic and platonic love between soldiers, and how unjustly combat veterans are treated by society upon returning home from war.

Potential Future

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is slated to release at some point in 2025, and a feature film adaption of Death Stranding is also currently in development at A24. Aside from that, Kojima is also working on a title published by Xbox Game Studios called OD, as well as another stealth espionage title for PlayStation under the working title of Physint.

Hideo often speaks about his morality, lamenting the fact that he is getting older and running out of time to tell stories. However, at the age of 61, some people say that he is only now hitting his prime. Clearly, he still has lots more to give the audience and it doesn’t look as though he plans to slow down any time soon. Long may it continue.

So, Who is Hideo Kojima?

Who is Hideo Kojima? He is a titan, he is a rebel, he is a pioneer, and he is a genius. Although there have been imitators of his style over the years, there is no one else quite like Hideo Kojima. Who else could tell a story that tackles dark themes of deployment of child soldiers and a government surveilling its country’s citizens that also features a camp vampire and an overweight bomb expert who wears rollerblades?

So many other creators owe Hideo Kojima for paving the way for them, as do the gaming audience. Without Kojima, storytelling in video games simply would not be what it is today. 

If your curiosity of the gaming industry’s giants doesn’t end with asking who is Hideo Kojima, why not check out our exclusive ‘Who is…’ look on Todd Howard?

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Daniel Boyd

Daniel Boyd is the former Co-Lead of Gaming at FandomWire, where he helped build the gaming team from the ground up and successfully managed a team of 30+ writers. Experienced in SEO optimization and content strategy, he has a keen eye for detail and a deep passion for pop culture. Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, Daniel has worked with companies worldwide, crafting high-quality, engaging content that resonates with audiences across the globe.