Hideo Kojima Reflects on 2016, Death Stranding, & More
By Alexander Pan 31 December 2016
In his final tweets of 2016, Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima reflects on what has been a big year that included reopening Kojima Productions and revealing Death Stranding.
With 2016 in the rear-view mirror, thoughts have now shifted towards the New Year and what exciting games are in store for 2017. For Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima, though, 2016 was a new frontier for the famed game director following his much-publicized split from Konami, and it appears that he is nothing but thankful for what has been a big year for himself and his new studio.
In his final two tweets of 2016, Kojima started off by saying that the year was like a “prep year” for a new journey before thanking fans for their “warmest support” as he relaunched Kojima Productions off the ground. In addition to a heartfelt thanks to all his fans and best wishes to a big 2017, the director also posted up an image of the new Kojima Productions mascot, seemingly to symbolize what will be the next step of his new journey.
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Year 2016 for me was the prep year for the new journey. Everything was from zero start except your warmest support. pic.twitter.com/ubWH1FlBMC— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) December 31, 2016
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I could done only because there's a hope. Thank you. Have a good new year for everyone who dreams, who supports the dream to come true. pic.twitter.com/QYkr9vFbTG— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) December 31, 2016
It certainly appears that Kojima was in a reflective mood towards the end of the year as the director recently revealed that 2016 was somewhat “tumultuous”, mainly due to all the chaos involved in establishing his new studio, hiring new staff, flying around the world with Mark Cerny in search for “high-end technology”, and starting production on his next game Death Stranding.
Having said that, 2016 was filled with more positives than negatives for Kojima. From his new partnership with Sony and the surprise reveal Death Stranding at E3, to being awarded the prestigious Industry Icon Award at The Game Awards, it certainly seems that the director will look upon 2016 as a stepping stone towards a new and exciting stage of his career.
While he is nothing but thankful for 2016, Kojima already has an eye on 2017 as he recently revealed that he is most looking forward to the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, as well as the upcoming sci-fi thriller Blade Runner 2049. As for what fans can look forward to in the new year from the director himself and Kojima Productions, we can certainly expect more details and surprises to emerge about Death Stranding as the game is expected to enter full development in 2017.
Now that 2016 is firmly behind him, it remains to be seen what else 2017 has in store for Hideo Kojima. But with the production of Death Stranding seemingly coming along nicely and a newfound sense of creative freedom in his partnership with Sony, all signs certainly point towards good things for the famed game director and his studio.
