Konami blocked Hideo Kojima from making a Matrix game

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The filmmakers behind The Matrix once approached Hideo Kojima about creating a game based on the film, but his company, Konami, declined the opportunity, leading to a different outcome than many fans might have expected.

By the late 1990s, Hideo Kojima had become a key figure at Konami. His game, Metal Gear Solid, was a massive global success, and he was one of the few game developers in Japan to achieve widespread celebrity status.

Konami was sticking to what they knew, prioritizing sequels over new ideas. Hideo Kojima’s games were expensive and required a lot of work, so company leaders wanted him to focus solely on the Metal Gear series. However, it’s hard not to think that letting him pursue his passion project, a potential collaboration based on The Matrix, might have been worth the effort.

The Wachowskis wanted Kojima to make The Matrix game

Christopher Bergstresser, a former VP at Konami, says that after The Matrix came out in 1999, the Wachowskis reached out to Hideo Kojima directly. They apparently went to Konami’s offices in Tokyo with artist Geoff Darrow and asked him to create the official Matrix video game.

According to an interview with Time Extension, the Wachowskis, creators of The Matrix, approached the team at Konami hoping they would develop a Matrix video game. However, Konami executive Kazumi Kitaue rejected the idea, prioritizing Hideo Kojima’s work on Metal Gear Solid 2 instead, according to Bergstresser.

Hideo Kojima went to the Japanese premiere and afterparty for The Matrix, and he recognized a connection between Neo’s running on walls and a character he was developing for Metal Gear Solid 2 named Chinaman. Both projects shared similar themes, exploring ideas about how we perceive reality, control, and the nature of digital worlds. However, the opportunity to create a game based on The Matrix went to Shiny Entertainment, who later made Enter the Matrix and The Path of Neo, but those games weren’t very successful.

Bergstresser’s account aligns with a 1999 diary entry by Kojima himself, detailing a meeting with the Wachowskis and Darrow at a Shinjuku hotel. A former Konami employee later revealed to Time Extension that Kojima was very enthusiastic about the project, but deeply frustrated when it was cancelled.

Imagine if Hideo Kojima had directed The Matrix – it likely would have been a groundbreaking, self-aware blockbuster. While that didn’t happen, Death Stranding, released two decades later, is a fantastic alternative. It clearly demonstrates Kojima’s ability to create compelling worlds without relying on existing franchises.

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2025-10-27 23:50