“At this stage, nothing costs any money and since it can be done mentally, it's the most fun part for me.”
Asked which part he enjoys most of making a game (which in AAA takes four or five years), Kojima said the beginning: the plan exists only in his mind — he thinks stories, themes and design — and in that phase nothing costs any money, the staff does not need to work, nothing physical exists and he can do it alone with his imagination; it is the most fun part. Then comes the need to tell someone and nobody understands; the team works blindly and he becomes anxious… until after much experimentation the world or basic system settles and there is a moment when the team unites in an ah, this is it — this is where we are going. Then it becomes fun again.
“I first start by making a plan just within my mind. […] It's free, the staff doesn't need to work on anything, there's nothing physically there at this point and I can do it all by myself. […] There's a moment when the team unites like, ah, this is it. This is what we are all working towards.”