Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima states that he won’t be playing Konami’s upcoming MGS3 remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.
During an interview with SSENSE, Kojima, the creator behind the original Metal Gear series and its sequels, laughed off the idea when asked whether he’d play the Konami-developed remake of MGS3, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. “No, I won’t,” Kojima said with a laugh, making it clear that he’s moved on from the franchise that helped define his career.
The creator’s decision is unsurprising, given his bitter departure from Konami back in 2015, after the company released an unfinished version of Metal Gear Solid V and canceled his horror game project, P.T. While Konami has proceeded to mine the Metal Gear IP without him, he is focused on creating original work at his own studio, Kojima Productions.
Furthermore, Kojima said that he enjoys taking risks and doesn’t chase trends. He expressed his disappointment with the current state of the game industry, with blockbuster AAA games being too bloated and too expensive, leading to studio closures. He talked about the formulaic and safe trailers seen during this year’s Summer Games Fest, and how everything shown involved either fighting an alien or a medieval monster. He lamented the lack of originality in big-budget releases. “Even the visuals and the systems are pretty much the same,” he noted, “and a lot of people enjoy this, I understand, but it is important to put something really new in there for the industry.” The creator believes the future lies in bold, strange, creative work that is emerging from indie studios.
Now 61, Kojima spends more of his time exploring fine art than gaming. He finds inspiration in museums rather than the interactive medium, particularly enjoying work that blurs the line between creator and audience.
It looks like Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will never receive the critique of the original’s creator. He has his hands full working on his new action-espionage game Physint as well as the mysterious yet intriguing OD, which he assures will divide audiences, just as he prefers.
