Companies thought Hideo Kojima was 'mad' for his 'never-before-seen' cloud project… Microsoft didn't

Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima revealed in a recent interview that Microsoft ended his search for help for his giant cloud project. The Japanese video game designer also recalled how other companies doubted his proposal and seemed to think he was “mad” for such an idea. (via IGN)

Kojima shared in the interview that technology has helped him to last in the industry for three decades despite getting bored easily. This interest made the video game auteur consistently push for new tech in his creations and explore new ways to make his ideas stand out.

“I tend to get easily bored,” Kojima told IGN. “Part of why I’ve been able to make games for 30 years is because new technology replaces the old so quickly. The tech you use today may not be applicable tomorrow, and I’m interested in figuring out ways to incorporate the new. Making the wrong choice can result in failure, of course. It’s a bit like a space program in that way.”

Kojima’s cravings for innovation led him to a new cloud idea, which he has been “thinking about for five or six years already.” This pushed him to ask for help from other tech giants in the industry. However, this same enthusiasm to enter the unexplored realm of game technology made him appear ridiculous in the eyes of some companies, he shared.

“The project required infrastructure that was never needed before, so I discussed it with lots of different big companies and gave presentations, but they really seemed to think that I was mad,” Kojima said. “It was ultimately Microsoft who showed that they understood, and now we’re working together on the project, including the technology front.”

The partnership between Microsoft and Kojima was first announced in June during the Xbox Bethesda Game Showcase, with the Japanese creator describing the project with a “never-before-seen concept” as something he “always wanted to make.” Aside from this announcement, no other details were leaked about the collaboration, though Kojima said that the project will largely rely on Microsoft’s “cutting-edge technology” and that it “may take some time.”

“It’s a completely new game that no one has ever experienced or seen before,” Kojima said in June. “I’ve waited very long for the day when I could finally start to create it.”