Following revelations about discarded gaming concepts—including a "Forgetting Game" where protagonists lose memories and abilities during prolonged gameplay breaks—Hideo Kojima has disclosed he's prepared a USB drive containing unpublished game ideas for his team to develop posthumously.
As VGC reports, Kojima shared this sobering revelation with Edge magazine, reflecting on his pandemic-induced perspective shift. "Turning 60 affected me less than my COVID-era experiences," he confessed. "When I fell seriously ill and underwent eye surgery, mortality became tangible. Suddenly, I'm calculating: maybe ten productive years remain?"
This existential reckoning inspired both new projects and contingency plans. "I've entrusted my assistant with a USB drive—essentially a creative will," Kojima explained. "My fear isn't death itself, but Kojima Productions becoming caretakers rather than innovators after I'm gone."
Recent discussions with IGN revealed Kojima's fascination with real-time mechanics. Beyond sharing unused concepts—like scrapped beard-growth mechanics for Death Stranding 2's protagonist ("Norman Reedus' star image deserved preservation")—he outlined three radical temporal innovations:
1. The Lifespan Simulation
A game tracking player-avatars from birth through old age, where physical decline offsets accumulated wisdom. "Running speed peaks at 20, strategic thinking excels at 60—but market viability concerns remain," Kojima admitted, despite podcast co-hosts championing the concept.
2. The Artisanal Experience
A slow-paced crafting simulator requiring real-world patience for processes like wine fermentation or cheese aging—positioned as a contemplative, long-term engagement.
3. The Forgetting Game
His most provocative concept: characters deteriorate cognitively during play hiatuses, eventually forgetting core skills. "Abandon it for a week, and your protagonist forgets their purpose," Kojima mused. "You'd need vacation time to complete it properly."
Metal Gear Solid Boss Showdown
Cast your vote or view community rankings
Kojima Productions currently juggles multiple ventures: Death Stranding 2's development, an A24-produced film adaptation (from the Everything Everywhere All At Once studio), Xbox's OD, and Sony's multimedia project Physint. However, January's actor strikes have delayed updates on these latter two titles, leaving release timelines uncertain.
