A surprising story from the past has come to light, revealing that the Wachowski sisterscreators of the iconic saga The Matrixthey wanted Hideo Kojimaresponsible for the series metal gearto develop a video game based on his revolutionary 1999 film. However, the idea was discarded by Konamiwhich preferred to keep the Japanese developer focused on its own projects.
Hideo Kojima, the ideal choice
According to the portal Time Extensiona December 1999 issue of the magazine NextGen mentioned that Hideo Kojima was in the Wachowskis' sights to lead the development of a title inspired by The Matrix. At that time, the Japanese creator already enjoyed international recognition after the success of Metal Gear Solid. Due to his cinematographic approach, he was the perfect choice to adapt the philosophical and cybernetic universe of the film.
The then vice president of licensing at Konami Digital Entertainment, Christopher Bergstresserreported that the filmmakers were great admirers of Hideo Kojima and that they contacted the Japanese company directly to propose a collaboration. “We received a call from the Wachowskis while we were at Konami headquarters,” Bergstresser said. “They wanted to meet with Hideo Kojima, and that was it. They arrived accompanied by their conceptual artist and told him directly: 'We want you to make the game The Matrix. Can you do it?'”
However, the response was blunt. Aki Saito, who continues to work with Hideo Kojima today, translated the petition into Japanese, and the executive Kazumi Kitaue He responded with a simple but resounding “no.” Bergstresser added that at least the team was able to attend the Japanese premiere of The Matrix and enjoy the after party.
What could have been and was not
Although this version indicates that Konami rejected the proposal immediately, Other sources within the company remember events differently. An anonymous former employee assured that there was actually strong interest from Konami. He also says there was “enormous disappointment” when negotiations collapsed.
Despite this, The Matrix It did have adaptations to video games. In 2003, Shiny Entertainment released Enter the Matrixfollowed by The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005) and the MMORPG The Matrix Onlinedeveloped by Monolith Productions that same year. Decades later, Epic Games introduced The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience (2021), an impressive tech demo that explored what the saga would look like with modern technology.
The legacy of two visions
Today, Hideo Kojima He continues to be one of the most creative figures in the medium. With Death Stranding 2 receiving praise everywhere. At the same time, he works on O.D.a mysterious horror title produced together with Xbox Game Studios. The game will star Sophia Lillis, Udo Kier and Hunter Schafer. It recently sparked speculation due to its similarities with P.T.the legendary demo of silent hills.
Meanwhile, the Wachowski sisters They expanded their universe with The Matrix Reloaded and revolutions. Years later they did projects like Cloud Atlas and the series Sense8reaffirming his visual style and his interest in issues of identity and technology.
Although that crossing between The Matrix and Hideo Kojima never happened, the possibility of two of the most visionary minds in entertainment collaborating remains one of the great what-ifs of pop culture.
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