Hideo Kojima Reflects on Aging and Creativity as His Studio Faces Crunch Time with Upcoming Project

Dying Stranding and Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima is contemplating his growing age once more, recently expressing to fans he “can’t stop pondering how much longer I can remain ‘creative'”, as his studio Kojima Productions has entered “crunch time”.

Kojima shared his reflections in a social media post, seemingly inspired by a recent acquisition of Ridley Scott: A Retrospective. “At this age, I can’t help but contemplate how much longer I will be ‘creative,'” he stated. “I must strive to pursue the rest of my life, but is it 10 more years? 20? Every day feels like I’m racing against the clock.”

“Even now, at 87,” he added. “Ridley Scott is still active. And when he was past 60 – my current age – he created the masterwork ‘Gladiator.'”

This isn’t the first occasion Kojima has publicly discussed the implications of his advancing years. Last February, the 61-year-old game development legend acknowledged that his decision to return to the action-espionage genre that made him famous – in the upcoming PlayStation 5 title Physint – came after a period of illness and surgery that led him to reflect on his own mortality.

“I was at my lowest and felt as though I couldn’t return to creating games,” Kojima recounted at that time. “I even wrote a will. And in that moment, I realized that people die. However, I turned 60 last year. I’ll be 70 in ten years. I hope to never retire. Nonetheless, if the audience desires it so strongly, I thought I should adjust my priorities. I still want to explore new things, but I decided to create an action-espionage game.”

Physint, however, is still some time away, as Kojima Productions is initially focused on releasing Dying Stranding 2: On the Shoreline and the Microsoft-backed OD. Dying Stranding 2 is likely the current priority, especially since it’s the only title on the studio’s agenda with a near release window right now – with the sequel anticipated to arrive this year.

Kojima’s musings regarding his ability to remain creative coincided with his announcement last week that Kojima Productions has officially entered crunch mode, likely as development on Dying Stranding 2 reaches its final stages. “The most intense phase of game development — both physically and mentally — commonly referred to as ‘crunch time’,” he noted on social media.

“In addition to mixing and Japanese voice recording,” Kojima added, “there’s an