Hideo Kojima, director of the Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding series, recently celebrated his 63rd birthday and marked the occasion with a lengthy post on X. In the post, translated by outlets covering the message, Kojima reflected on how the things he 'must do' and 'want to do' keep multiplying while his available time keeps shrinking, adding that he constantly needs to reassess how he spends his time and lives his life. He also noted that once he has taken on a responsibility, he can't simply set it aside.
The post coincided with a video of the Lumens (also referred to as Ludens) statue at the Kojima Productions office. Kojima explained that 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of his start in the games industry, tracing back to 1986 when he joined Konami and his first project, Penguin Adventure, was released. The end of 2025 also marked the 10th anniversary of the founding of the independent Kojima Productions. To mark these milestones, the studio plans to hold a 'Kojipro Exhibition' at the Azabudai Hills Gallery from late October through the end of the year, and the entrance Ludens statue has been updated to a '10th Anniversary Ludens' version.
Despite ongoing interest in his potential move into film, Kojima reaffirmed his dedication to games, stating he wants to remain focused on creating games amid various opportunities and offers coming his way. This echoes a pledge he made at his 60th birthday, when he said he had no plans to retire. He has also previously spoken about keeping a USB stick containing all his ideas, describing it in interview as a kind of 'will,' and has mentioned a wish to die in a movie theater when the time comes.
Kojima and his studio currently have multiple projects underway, including the experimental horror game OD, a stealth action title called Physint, a Death Stranding anime, and A24 film adaptations. Physint reportedly stemmed from a realization Kojima had while sick during the Covid-19 pandemic that people wanted something in the vein of Metal Gear. Little else has been revealed about Physint so far, though OD has been noted as unaffected by recent widespread Xbox cuts.
Coverage of the birthday post has drawn comparisons to other veteran developers reaching similar career milestones, including Deus Ex lead Warren Spector, who recently announced his retirement after roughly four decades in the industry. Kojima, by contrast, has indicated he intends to keep working, saying he doesn't want to rush toward his 'ultimate dream' and will 'keep on making games' for now.