Most people would agree that Hideo Kojima is a legendary figure in the gaming space. He’s responsible for one of the most complex and intricate gaming sagas ever and for creating the many iconic characters that still endure to this day. He’s also someone who got kicked down by his former boss, got back up, made his own company, and then created a Game of the Year contender on his first try. The man has also been very open about his life, thoughts, and feelings on his Twitter feed, and his latest post had to do with the original Metal Gear Solid title and how it changed everything for him.
You can see the full post below. You’ll need to extend it within Twitter due to the length of the post, but it’s very enlightening. Hideo Kojima notes that the original Metal Gear Solid title had been the first game he ever produced. He had been a writer and director for past titles, but Konami handled the production side of things and thus determined certain key factors that could’ve potentially ended the series before it started. However, when they set up a new subsidiary, Kojima went to that and then was the producer for the PlayStation title.
Due to that, he gained new insights on how to run a company and how to make a game profitable. For example, he admits that he had the team go home at night so that he could shut everything down and save money on the electric bill. We’re sure many people will praise Kojima for that. Another thing he did was launch a drama series so he could make extra money to help fund the game!
While this may not be “important news” to some, it indicates how far Kojima was willing to go to ensure the game’s success and the personal efforts he put into ensuring all aspects of the title were profitable, at least in some part. This also puts him in the “upper echelon” of game developers who are truly willing to do whatever it takes to get things done. Another who would be in that group is Masahiro Sakurai. He is somewhat infamous for doing things in titles that are beautiful yet are such small details that most won’t notice. Plus, he once spent time developing a certain fighting game with an IV in his arm!
So, while you may question their games sometimes, don’t ever question their desire to make the makes.