- Speaking at the Sydney Film Festival back in June, Hideo Kojima shared his ambitions of visiting outer space.
- Kojima added that he could "probably make games in space," and wants to be the first to do so.
- He also expressed his desire to feel the rush of a life-threatening experience, and compared it to Tom Cruise's hunger for pushing boundaries with dangerous stunts.
Hideo Kojima lives on the edge. The legendary game designer’s works abandon safer, traditional tropes in favor of contemplative, post-modern sagas that marry AAA budgets with eccentric themes and characters, which, by his own admission, only he truly understands. He balances this singular vision against the tumultuous nature of the games industry, where experimental releases and defiant studios are shuttered without ceremony. That alone would be enough risk-taking for most creators, but Kojima is eager for more.
The iconic game maker was on the ‘World Strand’ tour, connecting with admirers across the globe, mirroring the Chiral Network from his latest opus— Death Stranding: On The Beach. The tour gives fans a chance to peer behind the messianic mythos and learn more about the human behind Hideo. It also doubles as a well-deserved victory lap for the highly acclaimed Death Stranding 2 (review), which left us in awe with its uncompromising and soulful mastery.
Attendees at the Sydney Film Festival received a similar opportunity back in June when Kojima appeared for a conversation alongside his “sensei,” George Miller. As relayed by The Guardian, the 61-year-old touched on topics ranging from his love for the land down under’s wildlife to his struggles with isolation during the pandemic.
Kojima also shared his dreams of charting new frontiers by visiting outer space, but not as part of some commercialized, corporate endeavor facilitated by the mushrooming space tourism sector.
“That’s not space,” he remarked. “I want to train properly, learn how to do the docking, go to the International Space Station, and stay there for a few months. I’m not a scientist, but I could probably make games in space. I want to be the first. There are a lot of astronauts over 60, so I guess it’s possible.” He joked that the absence of gravity could alleviate his nagging back pain before sharing one of his more audacious desires.
The video game auteur wants to experience a life-threatening situation and the jolt of adrenaline that comes with it. He labeled it the “Tom Cruise disease,” as a nod to another uncompromising creative who “finds out his worth when living with his life on the line.” That invigorating feeling might just be what he’s attempting to capture in OD, the mysterious horror game in development alongside Xbox.
As always, it will be fascinating to see what Hideo Kojima does next. But what are your hopes for his next project? Let us know in the comments.
