HIDEO KOJIMA presents Brain Structure #11 — Messages from our listeners!

“In Death Stranding, 'strand' stands for strings and connections, and I felt a mysterious connection to that song that I found in that CD shop in Reykjavík two years ago.”

“You can't show them the inside of your brain. You draw pictures and try to put it into words. But you can't show them in moving pictures.”

“Without Ryan, without you and your music, Death Stranding would not have been born. Your music will live forever in this world and in me.”

“Just like Tom Cruise said in Maverick, I could never work this hard if it was a job. It's more like a mission. I'm dedicating my life not to myself but to someone else. I'm creating for those who are waiting for me.”

“Then, I'll play a soundtrack that matches that, and the writing just happens naturally. It's like I'm not myself almost.”

“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 usually have 20 or 30 world stories and game systems running around in my head. They go through a selection process and eventually the one that's left is the best one.”

“But I can also do things I dislike so that I can continue doing the things I love. If you only do the things you love, you won't grow.”

“But when wars evolve to become not people versus people, nor nation versus nation, but AI versus AI, I wouldn't like a world like that.”

“AI is going to keep biting at our heels, and I think our way of life is going to change into how long we can stay ahead of them.”

“So when I drive, I get into accidents. Because I'm too distracted by my thoughts. […] I try to avoid driving whenever possible.”

“At this stage, nothing costs any money and since it can be done mentally, it's the most fun part for me.”

“Being an inexperienced youth is a strength. […] If you fail, you fail. You're still young, it's going to be okay.”

“The hard parts are kind of like drugs. You begin to feel like you can't live without them.”

“People think that its purpose is to present the game to everyone around the world, but actually, it's not. It's to show the staff.”

“It's the making of Death Stranding, but it's also a bit like a documentary about me. I'll announce it when we're ready to announce it, so yeah.”

“Yes, the process of going to the restroom. I don't really need to use the bathroom.”

“I gave him a nickname. I call him Refn-chan. I have the best relationship with Refn-chan.”

“Since the pandemic has gotten somewhat better, I was planning to ask him to do some more music for us. And then this news came in.”

“I think there will come a time when I develop a game with just myself and AI, not the staff. It can be cumbersome to work with staff.”

“In Death Stranding, there is a beach where the time axis runs differently from the rest of the world. I feel like I'm living there.”

“But one thing that troubles me is that I turn 59 this year. I'm wondering how many I'll have time to make. ... That sense of fear has come over me just recently, I haven't had it before.”