Now Reading: Hideo Kojima recalls how Metal Gear Solid 2 nearly went unreleased after 9/11
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Hideo Kojima recalls how Metal Gear Solid 2 nearly went unreleased after 9/11
Hideo Kojima recalls how Metal Gear Solid 2 nearly went unreleased after 9/11
After the September 11 attacks, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was in serious danger of never being released. Hideo Kojima recalled the crisis in an interview with Weekly Toyo Keizai, including his fear that he would have to take responsibility and resign from Konami.
We shared the interview excerpt in an English translation by MGN’s own @kubrickedyaku.
According to Kojima’s account, development had been moving smoothly toward the game’s November 2001 release. The attacks changed that: similarities between the game’s themes and real events raised concerns, and consultations with lawyers resulted in revisions being required in 300 places.
Kojima described explaining the story to Konami’s board of directors while the possibility of shelving the worldwide release loomed over the project.
He then contacted Konami founder Kagemasa Kōzuki, who supported releasing the game. Sony Computer Entertainment’s Ken Kutaragi also encouraged him to go ahead. Kojima credited their support with helping him make up his mind.
The necessary changes were made and the release was postponed by a few weeks. For us, it is a striking reminder of how close one of Metal Gear’s defining games came to a very different outcome.
Read the full interview in our MGN special feature: Kojima’s Weekly Toyo Keizai interview, translated, with the complete English translation by @kubrickedyaku.
