When it comes to the development side of the gaming industry, a few individuals are elevated above the rest due to their resumes, skills, and passion for making games. These people are the ones who have gone above and beyond to make the gaming industry the success that it is, and they typically are hailed as legends before their time is done. Hideo Kojima is one such legend, as he has repeatedly proven himself over the years. Over the last few days, Kojima has made some interesting statements on Twitter, and it’s gotten people talking.
For example, late on Friday, he noted that it had been eight years since he started his company, Kojima Productions. He thanked everyone for their support and said that the company was in its “second phase,” which can be seen in how many games they’re making right now compared to when they started.
If you recall, the reason Kojima Productions came to be was the situation with Konami. Kojima worked there for many years, crafting one of gaming’s greatest sagas via the Metal Gear Solid story. He was the mastermind behind all of them, and then Konami decided to fire Kojima! A move that many are still talking about today. But Kojima bounced back and made his company, which he led to great success.
Creating his own company had more than one benefit, however. Not only did he never have to worry about “corporate overlords” raining on his parade, but it meant that he could keep making games forever. No, really, that’s what Kojima wants to do, and he said so in another tweet:
It’s fascinating to hear all the discourse Kojima got when he tried to make his company. Granted, much of it was likely due to the size of Kojima Productions and how he would make large titles like Death Stranding without having an “established team.” There is definitely a risk when trying to do something like that in the gaming industry.
But Kojima bet on himself, and the results speak for themselves. His first game was recently revealed to have gotten over 16 million players, and a sequel is in the works right now. He also revealed a teaser for one of his next gaming projects at The Game Awards, and he’s allegedly working on other things, too!
And while not everyone will be able to follow Kojima’s example, he is proof that you can do things your own way and be successful.
