Hideo Kojima was once approached by the Wachowskis to develop a Matrix video game, but Konami reportedly rejected the proposal outright.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima once had the chance to develop a Matrix video game – but Konami reportedly rejected the idea outright.
According to a new report from Time Extension, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, directors of the sci-fi trilogy, personally approached Kojima about adapting their movie into a game.
Former Konami vice president of licensing Chris Bergstresser recalled the moment, saying: “The Wachowskis were big fans of Kojima.
“Kazumi Kitaue, Kojima, Aki Saito, 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!”
He 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’.”
At the time, Kojima had just delivered the critically acclaimed Metal Gear Solid titles that helped define stealth-action gaming, and Konami was reluctant to divert its creative resources.
Team members later reportedly expressed “immense disappointment” that the collaboration never materialised.
Ultimately, Shiny Entertainment went on to develop the 2003 online action-adventure game Enter The Matrix and 2005’s The Matrix: Path of Neo.
Konami turned down a Matrix game made by Hideo Kojima, former studio boss reveals
