Direct quote 2008-08-24
“So I deliberately kind of matched myself and Old Snake. This is not just the message to the users, but also a message to the internal development staff as well; we've all been working for quite a long time, and I wanted to show that Hideo Kojima, at 45, still working in the spotlight - I wanted to show that to the staff!”
What it documents
In 2008 Kojima said he deliberately matched himself and Old Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4, ageing Snake, and that this was not only a message to the players but also to the internal development staff: they had been working for quite a long time and he wanted to show that Hideo Kojima, at 45, was still working in the spotlight.
Source
Video Games Daily / Kikizo, 2008-08-24 (page 1 of 3). View source ↗
“Yes. Especially for Metal Gear Solid 4, it was very important. So I deliberately kind of matched myself and Old Snake.”