Hideo Kojima says "I can't die until then" as he signs with Hollywood agency and reveals "third phase" of his indie studio "is movies and anime"

Hideo Kojima has mentioned the "third phase" of Kojima Productions for the first time, and he's committed to not dying until it happens.

In an interview with Variety, Kojima revealed he's signed with major Hollywood talent agency WME as he prepares to expand his independent studio into multimedia, including games, anime, movies, and TV shows. We've previously heard mention of Kojima Productions' second phase, which is "expanding the game IP to other media," but Kojima plans for further collaboration with international creators across various forms of media for the third phase.

"For the third phase, I would like to work with talented people from around the world and create something new, with 'digital' being the keyword," Kojima said. "It could be a movie, a game, or something else entirely. I can’t die until then! I don’t think I’m trying to do anything too out of the ordinary!"

Of course, we've already seen the second phase of Kojima Productions expand into film with the upcoming Death Stranding movie. Curiously, in the same interview Kojima said he isn't directing the adaptation because he's "only ever thought of Death Stranding as a game," which would seem to contradict the whole idea of branching into multimedia, but who am I to question the man himself? He even said he's written his own movie based on the game, but won't have time to make it and thus won't.

"I created Kojima Productions under the scope of 'digital entertainment,' but I don’t think it necessarily has to be a video game," he added. "We could create a new IP from a game, or an anime, or a film, or something totally different. Anything is possible, and that’s the third phase."

As PlayStation's 30th anniversary nears, Hideo Kojima recalls moving to Tokyo solo with just the console and a TV to make Metal Gear Solid: "This shift significantly expanded my world".