Hideo Kojima is 'tired' while crunching on Death Stranding 2 and wonders how long he'll be able to keep making games: 'Every day feels like I'm racing against the clock'

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 17: Hideo Kojima attends the UK premiere of "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" at the BFI IMAX Waterloo on May 17, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Death Stranding mastermind Hideo Kojima left the office after dark one night last week, tweeting just one word on the way out: "Tired." After a long and influential career in the industry stretching back to the mid-1980s, he's starting to wonder how much time he really has left.

Kojima's latest game, Death Stranding 2, doesn't have a release date yet, but it's slated to arrive sometime in 2025 and that apparently means it's time to crunch at Kojima Productions. "The most demanding period of game development—both physically and mentally—commonly known as 'crunch time'," Kojima wrote atop his initial "tired" post. "On top of mixing and Japanese voice recording, there’s an inevitable pile of other tasks: writing comments, explanations, essays, interviews, discussions, and non-game-related work. It’s incredibly tough."

The most demanding period of game development—both physically and mentally—commonly known as “crunch time.” On top of mixing and Japanese voice recording, there’s an inevitable pile of other tasks: writing comments, explanations, essays, interviews, discussions, and non-game-related work. It’s incredibly tough. — (Image credit: Hideo Kojima (Twitter))

That's no doubt true, and it's why a lot of game studios have taken steps to eliminate crunch in recent years, or at least talk about doing so in a reasonably convincing tone. Still, it's proven tough to avoid even when genuine best efforts are made, especially on large projects with big budgets, corporate overlords, antsy shareholders, and looming deadlines, and it seems Kojima is starting to feel the miles.

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"At this age, I can’t help but think about how much longer I’ll be able to stay 'creative'," he wrote in another post. "I want to keep going for the rest of my life, but is it 10 more years? 20? Every day feels like I’m racing against the clock. Even now, at 87, Ridley Scott is still active. And back when he was past 60—my current stage in life—he created the masterpiece 'Gladiator'."

At this age, I can’t help but think about how much longer I’ll be able to stay “creative.” I want to keep going for the rest of my life, but is it 10 more years? 20? Every day feels like I’m racing against the clock. Even now, at 87, Ridley Scott is still active. And back when he was past 60—my current stage in life—he created the masterpiece “Gladiator.” — (Image credit: Hideo Kojima (Twitter))

Gladiator is indeed a great film (although it's no Master and Commander) but it's an apples-to-oranges comparison, and even if you were inclined to view them as essentially equivalent in their fields, I don't think anyone would seriously say Kojima's contribution to videogames stands in any way inferior to Scott's impact on film.

But maybe Kojima's unfortunate case of auteur ennui will have a positive outcome: Perhaps, instead of wondering how long he can maintain the gruelling pace of crunch, he might realize that it's bad for everyone, and take some concrete steps to cut it out completely. And then who knows? Maybe in 25 years, he'll still be a "creative" too.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.