Kojima: I don’t like being thought of as ‘the Metal Gear guy’

Hideo Kojima doesn’t want his legacy tied only to his creation and development of the Metal Gear franchise.

The designer explained to EGM how he’s been misinterpreted in the past, and that he’s always wanted to work on original properties instead of being known as ‘the Metal Gear guy.’

I’m often misinterpreted,” Kojima said. I’ve always said that I want to work on original properties, but Metal Gear offers plenty of benefits. The Fox Engine, for example, took a lot of time and money; we were only able to develop it because it was intended for the next Metal Gear. In the next game, I’m introducing concepts intended for entirely new intellectual properties using the Metal Gear brand.

I’ll admit that I hope my future endeavours are thought of as ‘works by Hideo Kojima’ rather than ‘from the creator of Metal Gear. I haven’t really shown the world what else I might be capable of yet. This may sound pretentious, but I don’t like being thought of as ‘the Metal Gear guy.’ There’s a lot more I can do.”

Kojima added that the next Metal Gear game will introduce concepts for new IP.”