Direct quote 2023-06
“When I first explained this to my staff, I got a largely negative response. They said, "But no one does that..."”
What it documents
Kojima said that when he first explained to his staff the concept of Death Stranding — not to compete or shoot, but to help others you cannot see and to draw closer to them — the reaction was mostly negative: they told him nobody does that, that you have to be the strongest and people play to stand out, not to do things for others.
Source
Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds (documentary by Glen Milner; PlayStation Productions / Kojima Productions); official English SDH subtitles, 2023-06 (00:06:10,208–00:07:10,375). View source ↗
“This game isn't like this, it's about connections. You help others you can't see and that will bring you closer. ... When I first explained this to my staff, I got a largely negative response. They said, "But no one does that..." "You have to be the strongest, you play because you want to stand out." "You don't do something for others." Most of them were negative about it.”