Kojima Plans Posthumous USB Legacy for Staff

Shortly after unveiling several abandoned video game concepts - including an intriguing "Forgetting Game" where protagonists lose memories and skills during extended player absences - Hideo Kojima disclosed he's prepared a USB drive containing future project ideas for his team to develop posthumously.

As covered by VGC, Kojima shared these contemplations with Edge magazine, reflecting on his shifted perspective following pandemic experiences. "Turning 60 affected me less than surviving COVID-19," he confessed. "During that critical illness requiring eye surgery, mortality became undeniable. Previously, I operated under youthful delusions of limitless creative time."

"Suddenly immobilized, witnessing widespread loss, death became palpable," Kojima continued. "Though recovering, I now question my remaining productive years - perhaps just a decade?" This existential reckoning prompted both prolific new ventures and creation of his digital legacy archive.

His contingency measures include entrusting assistants with this creative codicil: "The encrypted USB acts as my professional will," he explained. "My deepest concern? Preventing Kojima Productions from becoming just an IP management firm posthumously."

Recent IGN coverage explored Kojima's temporal game mechanics philosophy. Beyond patented systems like Metal Gear Solid 3's aging sniper, he shared unused concepts including Death Stranding 2's scrapped beard-growth mechanic - abandoned only to preserve Norman Reedus' signature aesthetic.

Three radical temporal concepts emerged:

The lifespan simulator tracks avatar aging with consequential gameplay impacts - youthful agility versus elderly wisdom requiring strategic adaptation. Despite commercial viability concerns, collaborators praised its quintessential Kojima innovation.

Another prototype simulates artisanal processes like winemaking, demanding persistent long-term engagement - essentially an anti-idle game combating intermittent play patterns.

Face-Off: Best Metal Gear Solid Bosses

Pick a winner

New duel1ST2ND3RDSee your ResultsFinish playing for your personal results or see the community's!Continue playingSee results

Most provocative remains the amnesia mechanic punishing player hiatuses - protégés forgetting gun operations or mission objectives during breaks, culminating in complete paralysis. "Players would need dedicated weeks," Kojima joked.

The studio's ambitious slate explains this urgency. Beyond Death Stranding 2, projects include:

• A24's live-action Death Stranding adaptation
• Xbox-exclusive OD
• Sony's multimedia Physint

Production delays from entertainment industry strikes suggest protracted development phases remain for these boundary-pushing endeavors.