Direct quote 2009-11-04
“Snatcher was pretty much the same way; there's a ton of references in the game that sort of skirt copyright laws. I never worried about that back then, because doing what I liked in games -- an interactive form of media -- was in itself a new thing for me.”
What it documents
In 2009 Kojima recalled his 8‑bit years by comparing Snatcher with Gunbuster, the 1988 anime series born as an homage by a handful of science‑fiction fans; he said Snatcher was practically the same, full of references that skirted copyright, and that he did not worry about that then because doing what he liked in games, an interactive form of media, was itself a new thing for him. He added that the industry grew along with him and that, before he realized it, he began to work with really big budgets.
Source
1UP.com, by Kevin Gifford; translation of a talk published in the Japanese magazine Famitsu, 2009-11-04. View source ↗
“The industry sort of grew along with me, and before I realized it, I started to work with really big budgets.”