Death Stranding and Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima is reflecting on his advancing age again, this time telling fans that he “can’t help but think about how much longer I’ll be able to continue being ‘creative,'” amid confirmation of that his studio Kojima Productions has Now we have entered “the decisive moment.”
Kojima shared his thoughts in a social media post, his musings apparently inspired by a recent purchase of Ridley Scott: A Retrospective. “At this age, I can’t help but think about how much longer I can continue to be ‘creative,'” he wrote. “I want to keep going for the rest of my life, but is it 10 more years? 20? Every day I feel like I’m racing against the clock.
“Even now, at 87 years old,” he continued. “Ridley Scott is still active. And when he was in his 60s, my current stage in life, he created the masterpiece ‘Gladiator.'”
This is not the first time Kojima has spoken publicly about the ramifications of his advanced age. Last February, the 61-year-old game design legend admitted that his decision to revisit the action-espionage genre that put him on the map (in the upcoming PlayStation 5 game, Physint), came after a period of illness and surgery, followed by thoughts of his own mortality.
“I was at my lowest point and felt like I couldn’t make games again,” Kojima explained at the time. “I also wrote a will. And at that time, I realized that people die. But I turned 60 last year. I will turn 70 in 10 years. I hope to never retire. That said, if users wish to do so, I thought I should change my priorities a little. “I still want to do new things, but I decided to make an action-spy game.”
Physint, however, is still quite a ways off, as Kojima Productions first needs to put out Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and the Microsoft-backed OD. Death Stranding 2 is likely the current priority, however, given that it’s the only game on the studio’s slate that has anything close to a release window right now, with the sequel expected to arrive this year.
And Kojima’s reflections on his ability to remain creative follow his announcement last week that Kojima Productions is officially in critical mode, presumably as development on Death Stranding 2 enters the home stretch. “The most demanding period of game development, both physically and mentally, commonly known as ‘crunch time,'” he wrote on social media.
“In addition to mixing and recording Japanese vocals,” Kojima continued, “there are an inevitable pile of other tasks: writing commentary, explanations, essays, interviews, discussions, and non-game work. It’s incredibly difficult.”
Of course, Kojima’s schedule is unlikely to become clearer anytime soon. In addition to Death Stranding 2, OD, and Physint, he is also working on a Physint film and is heavily involved in a live-action film adaptation of Death Stranding, which is being made in association with A24.
