“And then I made Metal Gear, and I really didn't think it was going to do that well. And it flew off the shelves, and Mr. Oshii was like, "Hideo, you can't make something like that."”
Kojima recalled meeting Mamoru Oshii while he was making the adventure game Policenauts, and that Oshii, a fan of the genre, had made his own adventure, Sansara Naga. Kojima then made Metal Gear Solid and did not expect it to do so well; when the game flew off the shelves, Oshii told him Hideo, you can’t make something like that, warning him about the problems of excess success and the obligation to surpass himself repeatedly.
“You know, back in the day, I made the adventure game, Policenauts. Mr. Oshii, you also love adventure games and made one too, Sansaranaga, right? […] I met him when I was making an adventure game. And then I made Metal Gear, and I really didn't think it was going to do that well. And it flew off the shelves, and Mr. Oshii was like, ''Hideo, you can't make something like that.''”