Hideo Kojima's 'USB Stick Of Ideas' Will Keep His Studio Producing Games After His Passing

Hideo Kojima can be quite the polarizing visionary and game designer, arguably one of the best in the field for his elaborate and unconventional insight. But he knows as well as anyone that our time on this planet is finite, regardless of ambition and genius, and has taken actions to preserve his concepts and ensure they come to fruition some day after his passing.

In an interview with Edge Magazine (reported by Video Games Chronicle), Kojima has reflected on his life and health after falling ill during the production of Death Stranding 2 On The Beach in the midst of the pandemic, and what will become of the rest of his life, as he was unable to work on anything while recovering. Turning 60 this year, Kojmia revealed he has left a posthumous collection of game concepts for his staff to work on once he's passed away.

“But then I became sick, and I couldn’t create anything. And I saw lots of people around me passing away at that time. I was confronted with death. Of course, I recovered, but now I was thinking, ‘Wait, how many years do I have left to make game or a film?’ Perhaps I have ten years?”

The Zone of the Enders creator has shown few signs of halting game creation with his eponymous studio, with the aforementioned sequel to 2019's "strain action" game, he is also in works on an exclusive Xbox project, as of yet untitled. Kojima revealed his good friends, and stars in Death Stranding, Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn he wanted to produce a movie, but they advised him to remain working on video games.

“I gave a USB stick with all my ideas on it to my personal assistant, kind of like a will,” he said in Edge's latest issue. “Perhaps they could continue to make things after I’m gone at Kojima Productions… This is a fear for me: what happens to Kojima Productions after I’m gone? I don’t want them to just manage our existing IP.”

“Turning 60 was less of a turning point in my life than my experiences during the pandemic,” he continued. “I fell seriously ill at that time, and also had an eye operation. Until then, I didn’t think I was old, you know? I just didn’t feel my age, and I assumed I would be able to create for as long as I live.

Death Stranding 2 On The Beach is set to release exclusively for the PlayStation 5 on June 26th, 2025.

SOURCE: Video Games Chronicle