The Wachowskis, writers and directors of the Matrix films, once asked Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima to design Matrix video game, but publisher Konami reportedly rejected it.
This according to Time extensionwhich stated that although the December 1999 issue of NextGen magazine stated that Kojima was apparently interested in creating a game based on the hit film, Konami executive Kasumi Kitaue suppressed discussions in favor of Kojima focusing on the Metal Gear series.
“The Wachowskis were huge Kojima fans,” Konami Digital Entertainment vice president of licensing Christopher Bergstresser told Time Extension. “So Kazumi Kitaue, Kojima, Aki Saito (who still works with Kojima) and I were at Konami headquarters and we got a call from the Wachowskis who wanted to come and meet Kojima. And they did!”
“They both came in with their concept artist and basically told Kojima, ‘We really want you to make a Matrix game. Can you do it?'” Aki translated it into Japanese for Mr. Kitaue, and Kitaue just looked at them and told them clearly, “No.” Despite this, we were still able to enjoy the Japanese premiere and afterparty of The Matrix.”
Interestingly, not everyone remembers the events this way. Another former Konami employee, who did not wish to be named, stated that Konami actually showed “great interest” in the game, and there was “huge disappointment” when the project did not come to fruition.
Nevertheless, the Matrix series has been adapted into a series of games, starting with Shiny Entertainment’s Enter the Matrix in 2003, the sequel The Matrix: Path of Neo in 2005, and Monolith Production’s The Matrix Online in the same year. In 2021, we also saw a Matrix-inspired tech demo, The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience, where Epic Games showed us what Unreal Engine 5 is capable of.
Kojima and Konami didn’t do too badly either; following the release of 1998’s Metal Gear Solid, Kojima and his team then focused on the critically acclaimed and award-winning game Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Libertywhich was published in 2001.
And Kojima is, of course, just as busy right now. With the release of Death Stranding 2, Kojima is working on many fresh projectsincluding a horror game OD for Xbox Game Studios. He he released the first trailer last monthsparking speculation is somehow related to PT. There are certainly striking similarities. The mystery game stars Dungeons & Dragons’ Sophia Lillis from Honor Among Thieves, Udo Kier from Hunters and Hunter Schafer from Euphoria, and the trailer shows Lillis’ character in a scary house, lighting candles before meeting a sinister figure.
Vikki Blake is an IGN reporter, critic, columnist and consultant with over 15 years of experience working with some of the world’s largest gaming sites and publications. She is also a Guardian, a Spartan, a Silent Hillian, a Legend, and an eternally High Chaos. Find her on Blue Sky.
