The Wachowskis, the writers and administrators behind the Matrix motion pictures, as soon as requested Steel Gear creator Hideo Kojima to design a Matrix online game, however writer Konami reportedly turned it down.
That is based on Time Extension, which mentioned that whereas a December 1999 version of NextGen journal said Kojima was apparently within the operating to develop a sport primarily based on the blockbuster film, Konami exec Kasumi Kitaue shot down discussions in favor of preserving Kojima targeted on the Steel Gear sequence as a substitute.
“The Wachowskis had been large followers of Kojima,” Konami Digital Leisure VP of licensing, Christopher Bergstresser, informed Time Extension. “So Kazumi Kitaue, Kojima, Aki Saito (who nonetheless works with Kojima), and I had been on the Konami HQ, and we acquired a name from the Wachowskis, who wished to come back in and meet with Kojima. So that they did!
“The 2 of them got here in with their idea artist, and successfully they mentioned to Kojima, ‘We actually need you to do the Matrix sport. Are you able to do this?’ Aki translated this into Japanese for Mr. Kitaue, and Kitaue simply checked out them and informed them plainly, ‘No.’ We did nonetheless get to benefit from the Matrix Japanese premiere and afterparty, although.”
Curiously, that is not fairly how everybody recollects occasions. One other former Konami worker, this one unwilling to go on document, claimed Konami had truly proven “sturdy curiosity” within the sport, and there was “immense disappointment” when the venture did not go forward.
The Matrix franchise was tailored right into a sequence of video games nonetheless, beginning with Shiny Leisure’s Enter the Matrix in 2003, observe up The Matrix: Path of Neo in 2005, and Monolith Manufacturing’s The Matrix On-line in the identical yr. We had been additionally handled to a Matrix-themed tech demo in 2021, The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Expertise, during which Epic Video games confirmed us what Unreal Engine 5 was able to.
It did not prove too badly for Kojima or Konami, both; after 1998’s Steel Gear Stable, Kojima and his group then focused on the critically-acclaimed and award-winning Steel Gear Stable 2: Sons of Liberty, which was launched in 2001.
And Kojima is equally busy now, after all. With Loss of life Stranding 2 out the door, Kojima is engaged on quite a lot of new initiatives, together with horror sport OD for Xbox Sport Studios. He revealed the primary trailer for it final month, sparking hypothesis that it’s linked to P.T. ultimately. Actually, there are placing similarities. The mysterious sport will star Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves’ Sophia Lillis, Hunters’ Udo Kier, and Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer, with the trailer showcasing Lillis’ character in a spooky home, lighting candles earlier than assembly a malevolent determine.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, in addition to a critic, columnist, and marketing consultant with 15+ years expertise working with among the world’s greatest gaming websites and publications. She’s additionally a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually Excessive Chaos. Discover her at BlueSky.