As the 30th anniversary of PlayStation approaches, Hideo Kojima reflects on his journey to Tokyo with nothing but a console and a television to create Metal Gear Solid. This significant change broadened his horizons immensely.
This December marks the remarkable milestone of the PlayStation 1 turning 30, and renowned creator Hideo Kojima, known for his iconic works like Metal Gear, Death Stranding, and Snatcher, has been looking back at how the console's debut shaped the trajectory of his career.
In a recent tweet, Kojima mentioned that it has also been three decades since Policenauts, a graphic adventure game exclusive to Japan that he both wrote and directed, was initially launched. Policenauts later came out on the PS1 in 1996, but the team had hardships, barely managing to publish it on 3DO in 1995, close to the time of the Kobe earthquake. After the PlayStation launch, Kojima undertook significant changes by establishing a new company in Ebisu and relocating to Tokyo to pursue the development of Metal Gear Solid. He recalls that all he took with him were a television monitor and a PlayStation, even listening to CDs on the device.
Kojima describes his earlier career in gaming while he was in his twenties, focusing exclusively on the domestic Japanese market by developing games for systems such as MSX, personal computers, and the TurboGrafx-16 due to certain organizational constraints. However, the landscape transformed with the PlayStation's introduction. Kojima shared that, thirty years ago, he was fortunate enough to be involved with this subcultural platform aimed at the international audience. At that time, he not only shifted roles to include management and production but also relocated to Tokyo, a pivotal transition that greatly enhanced his perspective.
Since then, Kojima has continued to innovate and create—founding Kojima Productions, which is actively working on Death Stranding 2, alongside the enigmatic horror project OD and a new action-espionage game currently titled 'Physint.' It's fascinating to ponder how the landscape of his creations might have looked different had he not made the transition he speaks of; he seems to owe a lot to the console that sparked this journey.
A director from Splinter Cell remarked that Kojima's recognition as an auteur is well earned, stating that the outcome of his work is a testament to his talent.