Hideo Kojima explains that he wants his games to be uncomfortable for some in order to make a lasting impression on players.
As goofy and over the top as Hideo Kojima games can be, he's never shied away from taboo topics in games, especially ones that are commonplace in film and TV. Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is a statement on camps like Guantanamo Bay and features some of the most horrifically detailed torture seen and heard in games, while its successor, The Phantom Pain, features child soldiers during the Angolan Civil War. His latest release, Death Stranding 2's first chapter ends with some real grim material too (that is softened by the events of the game but is a horrific visual nonetheless).
Kojima has been asked by CNN about his reported decision to change some of Death Stranding 2's script after playtesters enjoyed it too much. Kojima says that the reports were "half correct," explaining: "The things you don't forget, even after 10 or 20 years, are the things that leave a bit of discomfort or friction."
He continues: "Things that are too comfortable won't stay inside the player. They won't remain in their system, so to speak." So, instead, Kojima "intentionally set things up so that you wouldn't understand everything unless you chewed on it multiple times."
And you can really see this philosophy in Kojima's titles; well before Death Stranding 2. Metal Gear Solid 2 was one of the most anticipated games of its time, and it came out as anything but a traditional sequel. It ended up being one of the most subversive pieces of art in games that is still relevant and talked about 24 years on. I don't know if that would have been the case if it was 'Solid Snake infiltrates another base, and everyone goes home happy.'
Despite Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding acclaim, Hideo Kojima says "sometimes I imagine a life where I make the best-selling thing," but that'd be boring: "I'd be at home with nothing to do."
