I found and decided to translate this interview given to G1Brazil in 2018 in Los Angeles during E3. Has some cool minor little details we missed.
G1 - Ever since you unveiled "Death Stranding" two years ago, the public has been getting more and more excited about the game because you believe in your work. But there is also a lot of confusion surrounding the trailers. Is it intentional? Leave everyone wondering what "Death Stranding" is all about?
Hideo Kojima - Intentional or not, of course the answers to everything are inside the game. People will understand everything when it's released. I do not intend to give all the answers to promote "Death Stranding" before it's even ready.
People are connected to the internet, they debate and we observe all this. And that's my hope, that's my wish. Let the people have these discussions.
For example, in a mystery novel, there is a murder, a murderer, and readers would have to find out who the murderer is only at the end of the book. But now you have an information distribution infrastructure that makes it very easy to figure out who is to blame. But I do not find it fun, I do not think it entertains.
"Nowadays, all the answers are out there. You search and find information. But to me, it's more interesting when people can imagine. "
And there are different ways of doing this without delivering all the answers.
"Me and the players are connecting all over the world, exchanging different ideas, and we are going to build together the enthusiasm around 'Death Stranding'. This is the relationship I want to develop with them. "
I'm handing out clues, but the answers I hope people will only find out for themselves when the game comes out.
G1 - Several famous actors, such as Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen and now Léa Seydoux and Lindsay Wagner, are involved in this project. What are the biggest contributions these people can bring to the game?
Hideo Kojima - You can now capture all the expressions of the actors and actresses. Their silhouettes, each of their features. Even their souls, so to speak. Any intangible feature can finally be expressed by technology, 100% digitally. And that was impossible.
"So with these digital characters, it's almost like controlling a real human being."
In the end, everything will be digital. But they are still acting. All the phrases they speak, the tones used in words, the motions they make. I built a relationship of trust with each of the cast members. And I truly believe that we are creating something together. In the end, the game will be affected by their ideas, their performances. That's what I've been looking for.
Hollywood movies have a well-defined script. All the elements are set and the actors only need to go from A to B.
"In independent films, however, you still have to go from A to B, but through discussions with the cast members. Maybe then we can go from A to C, from A to D. These ideas can be implemented. That's the methodology I'm using. "
Talking to Mads, with Norman, I set my course. The story in general can not change, but many smaller elements come from contributions. For me, it is important that they are being part of the game's creation.
And the reason to work with them is not because they are famous. But because they are fantastic people.
G1 - The mystery surrounding "Death Stranding" exists as a way for fans to debate and theorize about the game. And that somehow collaborates with your work, in the same way that the actors, who are also collaborating. Do you see this development cycle as a great partnership with the public and the team?
Hideo Kojima - I can not put everything that people ask for, that would be impossible. But more than receiving collaborations from people, I want to connect with everyone.
"It's not about launching the game. When this happens, you will play and that's it. I want to connect with people and enjoy these years of game development. "
G1 - You said that the protagonist Sam is totally different from other video game characters. What can you talk about your personality? And how did Norman help you work on that figure?
Hideo Kojima - Most of the main characters in games are elite, they are great heroes. Or people who have political power, are from the army, from the police. In comics, you have heroes who are princesses, gods, kings.
"But the people who sustain the world, after all, are the working class."
In that case, Sam has no public or political power. He is just a worker in that organization. He even has some unique abilities, but the character was drawn in a very different way from what I've been doing lately. His clothes, your outfits ... If you notice, for example, his clothes, there are some bright lines that are symbols of construction workers.
And for objects that might look like weapons , the base color of them is made of elements found in construction sites. I think this will make a different impression. It is a character closer to the players.
"Most games, and 'GTA' may be the exception, try to accumulate power, authority and have a catharsis through it. In that case, you begin as a settler. And becoming Norman is turning into a hero. "
I got into this industry because of Mario. And it's one of the easiest examples to remember as most game characters have special abilities. They can run very fast, jump very high. But in this case it is quite the opposite.
Sam is a normal person. He walks at the speed of a normal person. And it seems to have common skills. In that case, Norman's humanity, and Norman himself, fit the character very well.
G1 - You always say you're passionate about movies. And longs like "Annihilation" and "Raw" painted on your Twitter as some of the ones you liked to watch this year. Are there other influences from the cinema helping you to mold the idea of "Death Stranding"?
Hideo Kojima - I hear this question a lot and I'm always intrigued. Because it's not like I watch a movie and say, "Okay, that will be the reference to what I do." I watch a lot of movies, I absorb and digest what I saw and they become part of who I am and what I create. I always find this question a bit disconcerting.
G1 - "Death Stranding" is a new beginning for you and your team. A new studio, a new technology. Is that what you've always dreamed of for your career? To have all the freedom possible to give life to your ideas and inspirations?
Hideo Kojima - That is also a question I hear a lot. But, for example, today I have had several ideas that I would like to do. Every day I have new ideas that I want to put into practice.
"What happened in that case was that when I became independent, I separated five or six ideas I wanted to work on. And among those I chose 'Death Stranding' as probably the most appropriate one to begin with. "
But it's not something I've always dreamed of.
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