Because the man Hideo Kojima is never boring. After the release of "Death Stranding 2" (opens in new tab) late last year, the Japanese creator sat down with IGN Japan (opens in new tab) to discuss the founding of Kojima Productions, his time at Konami, and his future as an AI.

This, of course, is said with a bit of sarcasm, but it is in response to a question about the philosophy of Kojima Productions and what the creator wants to leave behind in terms of its organizational structure.

"I've never thought about that. What's important to me is that the roots of creation aren't compromised." But, you know, I'm probably going to be an AI, and I'll be around. To keep creating new things, I need to be stimulated in different ways, so I will probably continue to collaborate with other people and adopt new things when I become an AI."

Will each chapter be prefaced with "Hideo Kojima's AI Games"? Nevertheless, aside from the bright idea of surviving death as an algorithm, there is something more exciting here for Kojima's fans. In this interview, Kojima does not directly mention his departure from Konami, but he does speak at some length and warmly about Konami. Since the split, there has been an icy atmosphere between Kojima and Konami, which is very unfortunate, but this interview suggests that the relationship is thawing.

"I learned a lot at Konami," he said. It's rare for a creator to be involved in both development and business, but I worked there as an executive, and they thoroughly taught me how to do business

." [He is especially fond of Kagemasa Kozuki, 82, founder and still chairman of Konami. It is clear that Kozuki saw a special talent in the young Kojima and tried to nurture it in the company: first of all, he allowed Kojima to run his own company within the company starting in 1996. Kojima says, "That gave me an incredible amount of freedom when it came to creating games." More importantly, when events beyond anyone's control threatened Kojima's work, Kozuki gave him his full backing. Just before the release of [Metal Gear Solid 2], 9/11 happened in 2001. We had just sent the master, and the game featured both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. It seemed impossible to launch the game. I was called before the board and when I explained the situation everyone turned pale. No one told me what to do, with the exception of Mr. Kozuki, who addressed the issue.

"While I was thinking about what to do, I went to talk to Mr. Kozuki about possibly quitting the company. When this game is released to the world and how society will evaluate it, they will talk about you, the author, and me, who sold it. Nothing will be said about the others. What are you going to do?' I am ready for whatever happens."

"I heard how far he was willing to go, and I was adamant that we release it together. The rest is history." [17] [18] It's great to hear Kojima talk about the positive aspects of his time at Konami. Even though he will never return to Konami, it is deeply saddened that the legacy of such a tremendous collaboration will be buried semi-permanently in history. At the very least, it would be great to see Kojima talk about his old games again, and it would be great if Konami could pull its fingers out to ensure that Metal Gear has a future as well.

The signs are positive at least. At the end of Kojima's recollection of MGS2, he recounts how bad he was after the game was completed: "I had to go from one hospital to another. The only person who worried about me at that time was Kozuki-san. Looking back, I feel like they worried about me more than anyone else when I was in trouble."