“I usually have 20 or 30 world stories and game systems running around in my head. They go through a selection process and eventually the one that's left is the best one.”
Kojima explained how he chooses his next project from the ocean of ideas: every day new worlds, games and stories occur to him but he does not write them down — they get weeded out and overwritten; he usually has 20 or 30 worlds and systems running around in his head, they go through a selection process and the one that remains is the best. Then come the producer’s filters: (1) the game will come out in about four years, so he must predict the world then and adjust the idea to what will sell; (2) whether the technology, skills and know‑how already exist, or the idea must wait in the fridge until technique catches up; (3) whether the market and infrastructure are ready — you cannot make a movie if there are no cinemas in the world, and streaming was impossible 15 years ago; and (4) whether they have the team to make it. The order of projects shifts with these factors, but in the end it all comes down to whether he wants to make it: you have to endure four years inside a project — if you do not like it you will force it and it will end up badly.
“Every single day, I come up with new ideas. […] But I don't write them down. They get weeded out and overwritten. […] So we need to predict the world four years from now and adjust the idea first. […] The last one is whether or not we have a team that can make it. […] in the end, it all comes down to whether I want to make it or not.”