Kojima States He Never Knew of Matrix Game Proposal, Admits He Might Have Accepted It
It's intriguing to learn about the unrealized opportunity for Hideo Kojima to create a Matrix game, as revealed by the former Konami executive Christopher Bergstresser, despite both parties having discussed the idea in various meetings.
Carlos Mendoza · 2 min read
Wachowskis' Unknown Matrix Game Proposal to Kojima in 1999 Revealed by Former Konami Exec
Following former Konami executive Jeremy Bergstresser's account of the Wachowskis proposing a Matrix game to Hideo Kojima in 1999, Kojima has expressed surprise, stating he was never informed of the offer. In an interview with Time Extension, Bergstresser recalled the Wachowskis' visit to Konami's Tokyo headquarters shortly after The Matrix's Japanese premiere. Accompanied by their concept artist, the Wachowskis pitched the idea, which translator Aki relayed to then-future CEO Kazumi Kitaue, who ultimately declined. Kojima addressed the alleged offer on X, stating he only learned of it recently. He explained that he arrived at Konami's headquarters after the meeting between the Wachowskis and Kitaue had concluded, and no one mentioned the proposal to him. "I was surprised to see folks saying online that the Wachowskis had offered me a Matrix game deal," Kojima wrote. "Nobody ever mentioned this 26 years ago."
Wachowskis' and Kojima's Encounters Before the Unmentioned Matrix Game Proposal in 1999
Kojima, who was Vice President of KCE Japan at the time, noted that he and the Wachowskis were fans of each other's work and communicated via email. He had seen The Matrix in U.S. cinemas prior to its Japanese release and attended a prerelease screening. During the Wachowskis' promotional visit to Japan, Kojima met them on three occasions: once at an interview in Shinjuku with Geoff Darrow, again at Konami's CS Division headquarters, and at another unspecified event. "I showed up at HQ and found they’d already wrapped their meeting with Mr. Kitaue, head honcho of the CS Division," Kojima said. He recalled joining them later and chatting for about an hour without a translator, and believes Visual Effects Supervisor John Gaeta may have been present. Kojima also attended the premiere screening and party that night, where he met Joel Silver, but the game proposal was never mentioned.
Kojima added that if he had been aware of the proposal, he might have collaborated with the Wachowskis, despite his workload. "I was swamped with Metal Gear Solid 2 back then, so I couldn’t have jumped on it right away," Kojima explained. "But who knows, maybe something could’ve happened if someone had given me a heads-up." The meeting occurred, but without Kojima's knowledge of the offer, the Matrix game never came to fruition.
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