Hideo Kojima Nearly Quit Metal Gear Solid 2

We owe an awful lot to Metal Gear Solid as a series. The game proved that pulling the rug out from underneath players was possible on even the most primitive hardware, with its huge twists shocking players just as viciously as planned.

It also spat out modern-day video game auteur Hideo Kojima, whose now-fractured relationship with the series has spawned Death Stranding and his highly-anticipated new IP on Xbox.

But, in a different timeline, Kojima could have been spat out much sooner, and changed the gaming industry forever.

Hideo Kojima Says Metal Gear Solid 2 'Seemed Impossible To Release'

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In a new interview with IGN, Hideo Kojima spoke about the production of Metal Gear Solid 2 and the troubles the team fought on the way to get it released.

"9/11 took place in 2001 right before the release of Metal Gear Solid 2," explains Kojima. "We'd just sent off the master, but the game featured both the World Trade Center and the Pentagon."

Explaining how this affected things, Kojima added, "It seemed impossible to release the game. I was called to the board of directors and they all turned pale when I explained the situation.

"Nobody would tell me what to do, with the exception of Mr. Kozuki [Konami's chairman], who tackled the issue."

Hideo Kojima Almost Quit Metal Gear Solid

The iconic developer goes on to reveal he almost jumped from the Metal Gear Solid ship before the launch of its sequel. "As I thought about what to do, I went to speak with Mr. Kozuki about possibly quitting the company.

"That's when he told me: 'When this game comes out and society has their say about it, they'll be talking about you, its creator, and me, the person who sold it. I doubt they'll say anything about anyone else. What will you do? I'm ready for whatever happens.'

"When I heard how far he was willing to go, I made the firm decision that we'd release it together. The rest is history." With some tinkering behind the scenes, the idea that a massive ship would crash into Manhattan was swapped out for something a little less reminiscent of 9/11.

It's incredible to think that we were almost without Kojima attached to Metal Gear Solid, which of course, would likely have put a stop to P.T. or Death Stranding ever seeing the light of day. We really dodged a bullet there.