Kojima recalled that twenty-five years earlier he had incorporated a…

“I thought that I could never recover. I felt like I might not ever be able to create a game again.”

“In my generation, we didn't have good role models; no one taught us anything. [...] That's why we ended up learning a lot from movies and manga. For the current generation, I think games are fulfilling a similar role. [...] People tell me all the time that my games are too "preachy", but I don't like games that have nothing to teach. (laughs)”

As he approached fifty, Kojima acknowledged that studio work was already physically fatiguing and that he should be preparing a successor and retirement, but the person to whom he had handed the baton had died before him. He said he could only pick up Itoh’s last wishes and continue telling stories; he also began the series My Lovable Memes after Itoh’s death to search for new receivers.

“People saying things like, I think Kojima has about three more games left in him. And I'm like, no, don't say that.”

“I saw the future. If it weren't for Miyamoto-san I wouldn't be where I am.”