Summary
- Hideo Kojima has shared some unused game ideas that involve using the passage of time to influence gameplay events.
- Ideas Kojima didn't use include characters aging in real time or forgetting gameplay mechanics if players take extended breaks.
- Kojima's game concepts often reflect on the human condition and play with themes like war and connection.
Hideo Kojima, the legendary creator of titles like Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding 2, recently shared some interesting game ideas involving the passage of time. Kojima has been making games for almost four decades now, and in that time he has made a name for himself by creating memorable characters, themes, and gameplay mechanics that sometimes blur the line between gaming and reality. His latest title, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, is set to release on June 24.
In the buildup to Death Stranding 2’s highly anticipated launch, Kojima has been offering insights on his most famous gaming projects on his podcast. In his latest episode, he noted that some of his most memorable gameplay ideas have involved using the system’s internal clock to influence the events in a game like Metal Gear Solid 3, where the enemy sniper The End can fatally succumb to old age in the middle of his boss battle with Snake if the player sets their clock ahead a week.
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Hideo Kojima also shared a few time-related ideas he ultimately didn’t use during the most recent episode of his KOJI10 radio podcast (as translated by IGN). For example, at one point during Death Stranding 2’s development, he considered having Sam Porter Bridges’s beard grow in real-time, with the player having to shave it occasionally. He ultimately didn’t do this out of fear that Death Stranding 2 star Norman Reedus wouldn’t look as cool with such unkempt facial hair, but Kojima didn’t rule out the possibility of implementing the idea in another game someday.
Hideo Kojima Shares Time-Based Game Ideas
Kojima also shared three other interesting time-related gameplay concepts, with the first being a game where the character ages in real-time and grows weaker as they get older. The second involves the player creating something that takes time to properly mature, such as wine or cheese. The third would be a “forgetting game” where if the player doesn’t finish quickly enough, their playable character could forget vital information and abilities, until they eventually lose the ability to move altogether.
This last idea would mirror how gamers might take a break from a lengthy game like The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, only to completely forget how the controls work once they finally pick it back up again. Indeed, Hideo Kojima’s games have often reflected on the human condition, whether it is the brutality of war in Metal Gear Solid or people’s need to forge connections with each other in Death Stranding. Time is also a concept that humans are all too familiar with, and some of Kojima’s gaming concepts could mirror things like losing track of how to play or skills diminishing as the years go on.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- June 26, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
