Hideo Kojima has three admirers: himself, Geoff Keighley, and the rest of the video game industry, apparently. There’s an obsessive cult following around Kojima and his works, with his name and personality becoming the singular face of the teams that helped make everything he’s worked on.
First and foremost, I don’t have an issue with praising the games he’s created. There’s enough hate in the industry, and praise should be given where it’s due. I don’t even have a problem with Kojima on a personal level, because – surprise – I’ve never met the guy.
I just don’t understand the image that now surrounds him, painted by his fans, when there are so many creators, directors, and developers on an equal level.
There’s no denying Metal Gear Solid is a significant series. Moments like the Psycho Mantis boss fight will go down in video game history, doing things never before seen with the hardware available. It’s also a very strange series, in a great way, and that element of ‘strange’ has very much become a staple of Kojima’s signature identity.
‘No, you don’t get it! Quiet has to wear less because she breathes through her skin!!’
Death Stranding took the strange to a new level, almost in a completely convoluted way. It’s a good game, don’t get me wrong – I played it all the way through – but would I call it genius? No, it’s just strange.
Although I enjoyed Death Stranding, I’m far from intrigued by the sequel. I’m sure it’ll be a solid game, no doubt, but it just looks even weirder in a way I can’t convince myself is anything other than jarring. And yet, as another trailer shows a talking puppet, the return of Troy Baker, a new bunch of needless cameos, all complemented by a social media post from Kojima showing a black and white picture of him editing another trailer or something, fans go wild and herald his mind as something beyond that of any other.
Before any potential comments, you’re allowed to like it more than I do without comparing the level of enjoyment to an intellectual factor, thanks.
Plenty of movie directors and writers have cult followings; it’s not an unusual phenomenon. Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, and Steven Spielberg – they all have distinct styles, and as a result, have garnered the attention of a consistently increasing number of fans. But in video games, the love falls on development studios like Rockstar, Naughty Dog, and Bethesda.
And then, Hideo Kojima. Not Kojima Productions – Hideo Kojima.
Again, let me be clear: Kojima has worked on brilliant games in the past, and Kojima Productions did well with Death Stranding. The man clearly knows what he’s doing when it comes to creating unique worlds and stories, and I love that. But when Kojima turns up for another 15-minute segment at The Game Awards – completely unrelated to the actual awards or achievements – I roll my eyes.
At 2023’s The Game Awards, Kojima stepped on stage with director Jordan Peele – another notable name in media. Here, Kojima announced a new project titled OD. What was the announcement? A couple of close-ups on 3D captured faces saying some nonsense before one of them screams, followed by Kojima describing it as a “new form of media”, to blend movie-making with video game development. I definitely rolled my eyes at this.
I’m sure it’ll be good enough, but people immediately backing what is a one-and-a-half-minute tech showcase of some faces with a self-visionary statement? Come on now.
Someone show Kojima Alan Wake 2, already.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Released
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June 26, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Publisher(s)
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Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Engine
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Decima
