Hideo Kojima, the visionary behind the Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding franchises, has articulated a unique aspiration for his final moments: to pass away in a movie theater just as a film is about to commence. The 62-year-old developer, known for his profound love of cinema, shared this sentiment at the Il Cinema in Piazza film festival in Rome earlier this month.
"I've always thought that when I die, I would like to die in a movie theater," Kojima stated, as translated by IGN. He elaborated on this peculiar wish, expressing a particular fondness for the moments preceding a movie's start. "I love the bit before the movie starts the most. Enter the movie theater, the lights go off and commercials and trailers play, yeah? I'd like to die just before the movie starts."
Kojima's deep connection to film is well-documented, with his X (formerly Twitter) profile humorously stating that "70% of his body is made up of movies." This reflection on mortality is not new for the game director. Last year, following the discussion of discarded game ideas, Kojima revealed he had left his staff a USB stick containing game concepts for them to develop after his passing. This contemplation was partly spurred by his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he described as more significant than turning 60. Falling seriously ill and undergoing eye surgery during that period made him confront his mortality and question how many more years he had left to create.
His anxieties about aging, shared in a previous interview with GQ, include a fear of dementia and the gradual loss of memory. "What I am most afraid of is time," he had said. "I am afraid of dying and having dementia. I am afraid of forgetting things when I get old. I am afraid that I won't even realise what I am forgetting."
The recent comments were made during a panel discussion at the Piccolo America Foundation's 12th edition of Il Cinema in Piazza. Kojima also introduced several films at the festival, including Shunya Ito’s 1972 film Female Prisoner Scorpion: Jailhouse 41. He highlighted the movie's inventive cinematography and the dedication of its young crew, noting its influence on his own work as a game creator.
Kojima also presented Dario Argentino’s Profondo Rosso (1975), praising its suspenseful narrative structure, a technique he attempts to incorporate into his games. He mentioned referencing the film's gorier elements in his earlier works, Policenauts and Snatcher, though such content later became problematic for PlayStation console exclusives.
Another film Kojima introduced was Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). He contrasted the moral clarity of American Westerns with the more human, morally ambiguous characters found in Italian Westerns, a quality he found compelling and reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa's films.
The cinematic influences on Kojima's games are evident throughout his career, from Metal Gear and Snatcher to the groundbreaking Metal Gear Solid, which pioneered cinematic presentation in games with its detailed cutscenes and voice acting. Kojima has cited war films like The Great Escape and The Guns of Navarone as inspirations for Metal Gear Solid, with the character Snake drawing parallels to Kurt Russell's Snake Plisskin in Escape from New York.
More recently, Death Stranding 1 and 2 further blurred the lines between gaming and film by featuring performances from actors like Norman Reedus and Lea Seydoux. Kojima frequently shares his thoughts on films via X and has been a guest on Criterion's 'Closet Picks,' enthusiastically discussing his selections.
Beyond his passion for film, Kojima is also a collector of physical media, including vinyl records, CDs, and Blu-rays. He has voiced concerns about the industry's shift towards digital-only releases, particularly following Sony's announcement regarding the cessation of game disc production. "Since production is ending in 2028, this is about video games, but I grew up with physical media, so I find it really sad," Kojima remarked at the festival, noting his continued purchases of physical media.
Currently, Kojima is developing an experimental horror game titled OD, slated for publication by Xbox Game Studios and in collaboration with director Jordan Peele. The game does not yet have a confirmed release window.