Kojima Bequeaths USB Stick of Ideas to Staff

Following the recent reveal of several scrapped video game concepts—including a 'Forgetting Game' where the protagonist gradually loses key memories and skills if you take extended breaks—Kojima has now disclosed that he has entrusted his staff with a USB drive filled with game ideas to be developed after his death.

As VGC reports, Kojima shared this somber news with Edge magazine, reflecting on how his perspective shifted during the pandemic.

“Reaching 60 wasn’t as pivotal as the experiences I went through during the pandemic,” he remarked. “I faced a serious illness and underwent eye surgery. Before that, I never felt my age and believed I could keep creating for the rest of my life.

“But falling ill left me unable to create. Witnessing the loss of many around me brought me face-to-face with mortality. Of course, I recovered, but now I find myself asking, ‘How many years do I really have left to make games or films? Maybe ten?’”

This reflection not only spurred Kojima to initiate multiple new projects but also led him to create the USB drive “as a kind of will,” intended to help safeguard the legacy of Kojima Productions.

“I handed a USB stick containing all my ideas to my personal assistant, almost like a will,” he explained. “Maybe Kojima Productions could continue creating things after I’m gone… It’s a real concern: what becomes of the studio? I don’t want them to merely sustain our existing intellectual property.”

Earlier this week, IGN covered Kojima’s thoughts on integrating real-world time into video games. He discussed past time-based mechanics as well as unused concepts—such as one dropped from the upcoming Death Stranding 2: On The Beach.

“I’ve considered having characters’ hair grow in-game,” Kojima shared on his Japanese radio show KOJI10. “Initially, in Death Stranding 2, I planned for Sam’s beard to grow over time, requiring players to shave it. Without grooming, he’d look disheveled,” he noted. “But Norman Reedus is a major star—I didn’t want to make him look uncool!” Still, Kojima suggested he might implement a similar feature in a future title.

He also unveiled three game concepts that revolve around the passage of real-world time. The first is a life-simulator: “You begin as a newborn, grow into a child, and gradually become an adult. Throughout the game, you face various enemies. If you keep playing, your character ages into their 70s or 80s. At that stage, you’d be physically weaker, with declining eyesight. As a teen, you’d run faster, but by 60 you’d slow down,” Kojima explained. While youth offers greater physical prowess, older age brings wisdom and experience, altering your approach to challenges. “But no one would buy it!” he joked—though podcast co-hosts expressed excitement about such a “Kojima-style” experience.

Another idea involves creating something that matures over time, like wine or cheese. This would require long-term, gradual engagement—almost like a background or idle game.

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Lastly, Kojima described a “forgetting game” that players must complete quickly. In this concept, the protagonist starts losing crucial knowledge and abilities if you pause the game for too long. For instance, skipping daily play could lead the character to forget “how to fire a weapon or even their own role.” This amnesia escalates until the character becomes immobile. “Players would need to take a full week off work or school to finish it,” Kojima laughed.

It’s an exceptionally busy period for Kojima and his studio, Kojima Productions (now we know why!). In addition to Death Stranding 2, he’s collaborating with A24—the studio behind Oscar-winning films like Everything Everywhere All At Once—on a live-action Death Stranding movie. He's also developing OD for Xbox Game Studios and the video game/film hybrid Physint for Sony.

No release dates have been announced for OD or Physint. In fact, Kojima indicated in January that the ongoing video game actors’ strike had impacted both projects, so further updates may still be a while off.