Hideo Kojima is one of the most influential individuals in gaming history, with his titles Metal Gear Solid and Snatcher going on to inspire games releasing even to this day. The Japanese game designer has won many lifetime achievement awards and is one of gaming's first-ever auteur directors.
Hideo Kojima made his debut as a video game director in the late 1980s with titles such as Metal Gear and Snatcher, however, it wasn't until 1997's Metal Gear Solid that Kojima cemented himself as one of the industry's greatest creative minds. The game was praised for its remarkable cinematic qualities, which were considered ahead of their time and still influence games today. Kojima continued to work at publisher Konami until 2015, when he left the studio after the release of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Painand the cancellation of Silent Hills.
With the legendary game designer still a leading force in the industry today through titles such as Death Stranding, Kojima has been asked many times over the decades of his main inspirations for his work in video games, and now, thanks to Viz Media, his collection of essays revealing them will be released in English later this year.
The Creative Gene: How books, movies, and music inspired the creator of Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid (known as The Gifted Gene and my Lovable Memes in Japan) is a collection of essays published by Hideo Kojima originally in Japan in 2019, in which the director discusses the inspirations behind his works. The book also features a discussion between Kojima and actor/musician Gen Hoshino, whose track "POP Virus" appeared in Death Stranding.
The book's description reads "Ever since he was a child, Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima was a voracious consumer of movies, music, and books. They ignited his passion for stories and storytelling, and the results can be seen in his groundbreaking, iconic video games. Now the head of independent studio Kojima Productions, Kojima’s enthusiasm for entertainment media has never waned. This collection of essays explores some of the inspirations behind one of the titans of the video game industry, and offers an exclusive insight into one of the brightest minds in pop culture."
Fans of Kojima's will know that the designer is not shy about his love for film, as he is constantly sharing what films he is currently enjoying on his social media accounts, as well as teaming up with actors such as Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen, and even film directors such as Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn. Hideo Kojima even partnered with some of his favorite musicians such as CHVRCHES and Bring Me The Horizon to produce a tie-in album for the release of Death Stranding.
While this collection of essays was written during the development of Death Stranding, it's possible that the book might contain hints towards future projects circulating at Kojima Productions, as Kojima has been known to hold onto ideas for years before including them in his games. The book will release on October 12th.
Death Stranding is available now for PC and PlayStation 4.