Hideo Kojima

“I always say, 'This will be my last 'Metal Gear.'”

“I try to watch a movie a day, if not more, and through movies, I learned about so many different political themes I hadn't been interested in and cultural things I hadn't been aware of and economic factors I hadn't thought about.”

“My parents were huge fans of westerns, European cinema, and horror in particular. They wouldn't just show me kids' films.”

“As a game creator, I'm not 100% satisfied when looking back at the previous game that I released.”

“As a creator, I always want to betray fans' expectations.”

“In the past, the U.S. was the centre of the world, where everything was happening. I think my stories have always sought to question this, maybe even criticise it.”

“My parents were born in the 1930s, and they experienced the air raids on Tokyo.”

“I believe the game should really feel what the players are feeling and change according to that.”

“What I'm really trying to do is create unique characters.”

“Personally, I'm not too fond of remakes.”

“Every time I make a new game, I put all of my effort completely into that game. It's like putting all your effort into a new child that's being born. Once the project is done, I can step back and look at it objectively, which is when I can see a lot of flaws. That's when I start to make a new game that tries to fix some of those flaws.”

“Even when people abroad see me, I'm often asked about a 'Zone of the Enders' sequel.”

“My first concept was for a game in which you were a prisoner of war and simply had to escape. If you were caught, you'd be brought back to the prison. The idea was for a non-combat game.”

“I am tremendously excited to introduce a unique 'Metal Gear Solid' experience to a new audience of gamers as well as collaborate with my mentor in game design, Mr. Miyamoto, on 'Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes' for Nintendo GameCube.”

“I don't really want to be a celebrity.”

“Games shouldn't only be fun. They should teach or spark an interest in other things.”

“I want to continue making things.”

“Japanese players do not like being thrown into an arena in which they are given very little instruction. You can head in any direction, 360 degrees. They say, 'What am I supposed to do? Give me hints. Provide me service instead of just throwing me into this arena.'”

“I believe that even today we can only tell a simple story without really interfering with gameplay. But in the future, I think it will almost be a requirement of all storytellers when they create games, how they can tell a more complex story without conflicting with the gameplay.”

“The painter has total control over what they're showing to the viewer.”