Hideo Kojima says his game studio may venture into filmmaking

In an interview with the BBC about his new game, Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima mentioned that his studio, Kojima Productions, will venture into filmmaking. This idea isn't exactly a surprising one; Kojima is famous for taking a film-like approach to game design while also being infamous for including lengthy cutscenes in his work. That said, filmmaking and game design are two different beasts. Kojima doesn't seem phased by this, though. "If you can do one thing well, then you can do everything well," he claims, seemingly bucking conventional wisdom.

Kojima's film influences became obvious in 1998's Metal Gear: Solid. The PlayStation hit was a 3D update to Hideo Kojima's earlier Metal Gear games, which were released on 8-bit computers like the MSX. The game stunned audiences with its visual atmosphere, orchestral soundtrack and dramatic dialogue that set the bar for future triple-A action games. With each new entry into the Metal Gear franchise, Kojima pushed for longer and longer cutscenes, which divided gamers' opinions and gave the designer a reputation for sacrificing gameplay for narrative. Many critics asked the rhetorical question, "Why doesn't Kojima just make movies?"

Kojima was fired from his decades-long career at Konami in 2015. Upon announcing his own studio, fans wondered if the eccentric game designer would be able to create a coherent game now that Konami's executives weren't there to reel him in when he got too creative. The studio's first release, Death Stranding, doesn't seem to have provided a definitive answer, with some critics praising the game and others characterizing it as a glorified fetch-quest. Fans can get their hands on the game when it launches later this week.

It's hard to tell how serious Kojima was when making the comment to the BBC. His quote, "in the future, Kojima Productions will start making films," is pretty vague, after all. He didn't elaborate on how he would approach filmmaking, whether the studio would focus on CGI animations or live-action productions or how a film project could affect game projects. It could very well be the case that, whether or not he's ready to walk the walk, Kojima was just voicing his desire to make movies. Either way, it's unlikely that anything will materialize for years to come.