Hideo Kojima, the visionary developer behind “Metal Gear Solid” and “Death Stranding,” recently expressed his astonishment upon learning that The Wachowskis, creators of “The Matrix,” had once approached Konami about him developing a game based on their iconic film franchise. Kojima emphatically stated that “no one ever told me such a conversation had taken place.”
The revelation came to light in an IGN report yesterday, detailing how The Wachowskis, keen admirers of Kojima’s work, had sought him out for a “Matrix” video game adaptation. Christopher Bergstresser, former VP of licensing at Konami Digital Entertainment, recounted the meeting: “The Wachowskis were big fans of Kojima. So Kazumi Kitaue, Kojima, Aki Saito (who still works with Kojima), and I were at the Konami HQ, and we got a call from the Wachowskis, who wanted to come in and meet with Kojima. So they did!”
Hideo Kojima stated he was unaware of being offered a Matrix game project. Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Kojima Productions.
Bergstresser continued: “The two of them came in with their concept artist, and effectively they said to Kojima, ‘We really want you to do the Matrix game. Can you do that?’ Aki translated this into Japanese for Mr. Kitaue, and Kitaue just looked at them and told them plainly, ‘No.’ We did still get to enjoy the Matrix Japanese premiere and afterparty, though.”
Responding to this news on social media, Kojima confirmed his surprise. He acknowledged a mutual admiration with The Wachowskis and a history of exchanging emails, but insisted he was completely unaware of any game adaptation proposal. Despite being heavily committed to “Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” at the time, Kojima mused that “there could’ve been a way to make it work” if he had known.
“I was surprised to see on social media that the Wachowski sisters had “offered me a Matrix game project!” back in 1999. In all these 26 years, no one ever told me such a conversation had taken place. At the time, we were mutual fans and exchanged emails. The Matrix hadn’t been released in Japan yet, but I had already seen it in theaters in the U.S. and at a preview screening.
When the Wachowskis came to Japan for promotion, I believe I met them three times. In the morning, we had a Famitsu interview in Shinjuku — that time, Geof Darrow joined us for the talk session. In the afternoon, they were invited to the headquarters of Konami’s CS Division. Back then, I was vice-president of KCE Japan, a wholly-owned subsidiary. When I arrived at the headquarters, their meeting with Mr. Kitaue, the head of the CS Division, had just ended.
I joined them afterward, and we chatted for about an hour without an interpreter (Aki wasn’t even there). I think John Gaeta, the visual effects supervisor, was also present. That evening, I attended the premiere screening and party, where I also met Joel Silver. Even then, there was no mention of an offer.
At that time, I was already extremely busy with [Metal Gear Solid 2] and probably couldn’t have accepted the offer right away. But if someone had told me, maybe there could’ve been a way to make it work.”
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) October 29, 2025
Kojima is currently immersed in several new projects, including the highly anticipated horror title “OD” for Xbox Game Studios. The first trailer for “OD,” unveiled last month, immediately sparked speculation about potential connections to his previous work, “P.T.” The enigmatic game features Sophia Lillis (“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”), Udo Kier (“Hunters”), and Hunter Schafer (“Euphoria”), with the trailer hinting at a chilling experience within a spooky house.
While Kojima was never involved, The Matrix franchise did eventually receive several video game adaptations. These began with Shiny Entertainment’s “Enter the Matrix” in 2003, followed by “The Matrix: Path of Neo” in 2005, and Monolith Production’s “The Matrix Online” in the same year. More recently, Epic Games showcased the power of Unreal Engine 5 with “The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience,” a visually stunning tech demo released in 2021.
This article was reported by Vikki Blake, a seasoned gaming critic and consultant.