The Missed Opportunity: Hideo Kojima’s Matrix Game

The Matrix and Hideo Kojima: A Missed Opportunity for a Game Collaboration

The Matrix franchise, known for its video game-like elements, surprisingly has only had a few actual games released. While The Matrix Online and Enter The Matrix are notable entries, there was a missed opportunity for a potential collaboration with renowned game creator Hideo Kojima.

Christopher Bergstresser, former vice president of licensing at Konami Digital Entertainment, revealed in a recent interview with Time Extension that The Wachowskis, creators of The Matrix, were big fans of Kojima. This admiration led to a meeting between the Wachowskis and Kojima at the Konami headquarters, where the idea of Kojima creating a Matrix game was discussed.

Despite the enthusiasm from The Wachowskis, the pitch for a Matrix game by Kojima was ultimately declined by Konami. Kazumi Kitaue, who later became CEO of Konami, reportedly said, “‘No.’ We did still get to enjoy the Matrix Japanese premiere and afterparty, though.” Interestingly, Kojima himself was unaware of this pitch, as he revealed on his Twitter account.

Kojima expressed surprise at the revelation, stating that he had met The Wachowskis on multiple occasions but was never informed of any offer for a Matrix game project. While he acknowledges attending the Japanese premiere and party, he maintains that there was no mention of such an opportunity.

Reflecting on the situation, Kojima mentioned that he was occupied with Metal Gear Solid 2 at the time and might not have been able to accept the offer immediately. However, he regrets not being informed earlier, as there could have been potential for a collaboration.

The idea of a Kojima-directed Matrix game is intriguing, considering his unique game design approach. While the collaboration never materialized, it sparks curiosity about what could have been, especially imagining Kojima’s quirky features integrated into the Matrix universe.