Hideo Kojima says he rejects “ridiculous” offers for his studio every day

Hideo Kojima wants people to know that he is a completely independent video game developer. This means that his studio has not only “any affiliations with anyone”, but also “everyday”. death strand The auteur rejects takeover offers from other companies.

“Some of these shows are way too loud,” Kojima said in his latest Brain Structure, podcast. Available through Spotify. (For the record, Kojima speaks Japanese, with augmentation in English.) “But it’s not that I want money. I want to make what I want to do. That’s why I created this studio.”

Kojima hosts the podcast, and this week’s guest was Good friend Jeff Kelly, and himself the host of The Game Awards – so, ostensibly, Kojima is leading the discussion. (Disclosure: Kojima is on the advisory board for The Game Awards.)

However, Keighley soon took over the role of interviewer, asking Kojima about recent developments in the gaming industry. “There are a lot of rumors around the games, on social media in particular, and I think maybe we’re talking about some of the rumors going around, some of the truth behind those rumors,” Kelly said.

The two then engaged in a lengthy discussion about gossip culture, entertainment products, and social media. after mentioning Ad this summer That Kojima was working on a game for Xbox Game Studios from Microsoft, Keighley raised Kojima’s already close working relationship with PlayStation and Sony Interactive Entertainment (death strand It was and remains a PlayStation console exclusive), and whether it has made commitments to one console manufacturer or the other over the years.

“I think a lot of people have a misunderstanding about Kojima Productions,” he said. “I set up this company in 2015 after I left Konami. It was 100% out of my pocket. There is absolutely no funding from anyone. Therefore, we are independent.”

Kojima acknowledged that the physical proximity of his studio to Sony’s worldwide headquarters (in Shibuya, Tokyo), as well as the headquarters of Sony Interactive Entertainment, meant “people tend to think we’re part of Sony”. But as this summer’s announcement about Microsoft notes, “We’re Indies. We have no affiliations whatsoever, and we’re not backed by anyone.” […] And every day, I receive offers from all over the world to buy our studio.

“Some of these offers are ridiculously high prices, but it doesn’t mean I want the money,” Kojima said. “I want to make what I want to make. That’s why I created this studio.”

In other words, for those who expect Kojima Productions (and mascot Ludens) to be the latest Gaining big names in year photographed with themdo not hold your breath. “As long as I’m alive, I don’t think I’ll ever accept these offers,” Kojima said.

One assumes that Kojima’s position comes from the way his tenure with Konami ended in 2015, when the publisher was abandoned him And the his thoughts Favor making pachinko machines And the Burning Pro Evolution Soccer to the ground.

But Kojima also speaks as an artist (aged 35 and over in this medium) who understands the creative capital and the amount it has earned.