The Kojima Conundrum, 03/07/2025
Plus: Microsoft layoffs stun industry
Tom literally sweats over video game big names at Death Stranding 2’s London launch
Microsoft lays off 9,000 people across its Xbox division
Donkey Kong goes full HULK SMASH in our Switch 2 platformer preview
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Hello VGIM-ers,
Tom Regan here, back once again gracing/disgracing your inbox (feel free to mark as appropriate.)
As the dust from the Switch 2’s launch finally settles and we receive a welcome reprieve from June’s endless bombardment of online showcases, I thought it might be time to get a bit existential - but with a Hollywood twist.
Do video games struggle with mainstream acceptance because they have an auteur problem? When a new film or album comes out, we learn the story behind its key creatives - creating an emotional connection in the process.
With video games, there’s rarely the same relatable story. Is there a lack of a human face to put to our favourite IP, a larger-than-life creator to rally behind? Or are games carefully avoiding the problems with having an auteur culture, which George Young chatted about in last week’s newsletter?
Join me as I discuss Hideo Kojima, Death Stranding 2’s sticky London launch event and the lack of notable gaming celebrities, in what is an unreasonably sweaty edition of VGIM.
The big read - The Kojima Conundrum
Strand-type event: As the long-awaited Death Stranding 2 finally hits shelves and digital storefronts, creator Hideo Kojima ponders one question - should we have connected? As I stand assembled in Soho’s HERE at Outernet amongst the 2000-strong throng squeezed into the sweltering Soho launch event, I initially find myself wondering the same thing.
Air-fryted journalism: Yet once the house lights go down and Kojima and Keighley take to the stage, I begin to forget that I’m being slow-roasted, I bear witness to a refreshingly entertaining art-led celebration of how Kojima and cast pulled off the wonderful insanity of Death Stranding 2.
Big show
Geoffjima x Norman Seydoux: Where most game launches are celebrated by a slew of half-hearted social media posts, Hideo Kojima brings expectedly Hollywood flair to his ticketed London launch event. After Geoff Keighley invited Kojima on stage to talk about his five-year journey making the off-kilter sequel, he was then joined by a grinning Norman Reedus and jubilant Lea Seydoux to discuss working on the game. From showing photos of their mo-cap sessions to gushing over a shared love of films, despite the 33-degree heat, the sold-out crowd was hanging on to each new Kojima or cast anecdote across the night.
Auteur Gear Solid: “Hideo Kojima is one of the few genuine auteurs in [the] triple-A video game space, and I respect that,” says VGC owner and editor in chief, Andy Robinson, “Whether you’re a fan of his games or not, you can’t deny they’re weird, and unique, and deeply personal to him.”
Sweat Standing: I came into the venue feeling a little cynical, wondering if this £33 panel would feel genuinely special. Yet where this easily could have been one half-hearted panel followed by a photo op and thousands of fans swiftly ushered into the eye-wateringly pricey pop-up shop, the two hours felt like a genuine celebration.
Tuned in: And that’s before we even got to the musical segment. Dedicated to Ryan Karazija, the Icelandic singer who died during the pandemic and was integral to the original Death Stranding, it included a goosebump-inducing rendition of Death Stranding 2’s main theme by Caroline Polachek and the first live performance for CHVRCHES in two years. You wouldn't get that at a COD event.
Big Heartman: While you could certainly accuse Kojima of being a little self-obsessed, Monday night did feel more like a genuine artistic celebration. It felt surprisingly low-key, endearingly intimate and human, with fans hanging on every beautifully sung note and snippet of development detail.
Rubbing shoulders
Larger than life: The question is, why are events like this such a rarity in video games? As evidenced by his game’s stellar cast and carefully curated soundtracks, Kojima understands the world of celebrity perfectly. He wants every new artistic endeavour to feature a crew of creatives that feel larger than life to match the worlds he creates.
Brand recognition: It’s no surprise that by casting celebs and turning himself into a brand name (mostly by shamelessly plastering his name over everything he does), Kojima has become one of the few bona fide video game celebrities with cultural cut-through. “Having a designer who can appear on a magazine cover or fill an Oxford Street signing event has been undeniably good for the games industry,” says Andy Robinson.
Direct(or) intervention: While the film industry has no shortage of auteurs, from Danny Boyle to Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig to Martin Scorsese or Bong Joon Ho to Quentin Tarantino, Hideo Kojima is arguably in a league of his own. While Neil Druckmann and Tim Schafer have their fans, and Shigeru Miyamoto certainly has recognition, how many Final Fantasy players honestly know the name Hironobu Sakaguchi? How many of the 100 million GTA players recognise the name Dan Houser? Where actors and directors are known quantities on screen, game publishers’ logos are far more recognisable than the people making games. SEGA’s jingle and EA Sports’ soundbite are sadly more associated with Sonic and EA Sports FC than any individual human ever will be.
Zone of the vendors: Video game launch events are also narrow in ambition, largely acting as an excuse to usher people into retailers. Unlike films and television, games are too often not seen as an art form by their publishers - let alone the rest of the world. Where Director’s Q&A’s, behind-the-scenes makings of and star-studded premieres are commonplace in the wider screen businesses, video game publishers rarely see the ‘value’ in talking about the art behind their release. Games are too often presented purely as a product, depriving them of wider reach and making the word ‘community’ feel like an afterthought.
A name means nothing on the battlefield: For a brief period in the 2010s, indie developers were threatening to become household names in themselves, yet now, it’s a trend that seems to have all but died. The current crème de la crème of auteur indies largely want to remain anonymous. From Vampire Survivors’ Luca Gallente to Stardew Valley’s Concerned Ape and Balatro’s LocalThunk, the future indie darlings of tomorrow actively avoid the spotlight.
Put a face to a game: But while indies may want to shun the limelight for reasons of personal humility, a lack of recognisable big names in games makes the medium harder to relate to. As we’ve seen in the other creative industries, it’s the human faces and the stories behind them that get people to care. It’s the tell-all artist interview or the gripping behind-the-scenes documentary that helps us invest in people we otherwise might have no connection to.
Should we have connected?: And while the tagline to this sentence may sound like a late-night LinkedIn regret, Kojima’s event answered his question with a resounding yes. His Death Stranding 2 extravaganza has already stopped at L.A., Tokyo, Sydney and Paris, selling out venues and printing money from its pop-up merchandise shop that will likely prove very welcome back at Kojima HQ. Yet it also helps bring an air of showbiz gravitas to an industry that often feels too embarrassed to celebrate its achievements. Game launches can often feel ethereal and digital, a phenomenon that we all experience separately by downloading a game in our respective living rooms.
There’s more than one Big Boss: “I think there's plenty of other games that can have that sort of celebration, even if they're not portraying them as these Kojima-level art pieces,” says Daily Mail Gaming’s Mourad El-Dine Abdou of Monday’s event. ”There are plenty of games that many fans would love to celebrate, be it just a gathering with music or panels from the developers themselves.”
Kept you waiting, huh?: Events perform a wider historical and cultural function too. With Kojima telling the audience on Monday that he almost died during the pandemic, the importance of understanding how a game is made within the context of the wider world is essential."We have war, we have climate change, we have a lot of earthquakes, we had the pandemic, we have a lot of things,” Kojima stated, reflectively, towards the end of the evening “We have maybe a dark future. But today, if we gather like this and if we are connected, we can fight and battle all these things."
Awkward auteur questions
Are there any Morejimas?: While other developers and studios could do with taking a leaf out of Kojima’s book, the question is whether they can realistically do the same without his bombast and budgets. “I don't think Kojima is an anomaly,” says Abdou, “I just think he is someone that was able to break away from the capitalist machine, due to the reputation that he built with Metal Gear, was able to really skyrocket and do the artistic things that he wants to do, and he had the resources to go out and do it.”
Communities managed: There is plenty of evidence out there that suggests that game audiences are ready and waiting for more ‘cultural’ entertainment events. With London playing host to events like The Stardew Valley Symphony, D&D phenomenon Dimension 20 and the Science Museum’s long-running Power Up exhibition, there’s the enticing possibility that celebrating games doesn’t necessarily need celebrity.
The Quiet effect: And this matters because we seem to have little choice in deciding who is a star in games and whether we can - or should - identify them. “Who gets to be an auteur?” asked Shay Thompson, regular contributor to the Press X to Continue Podcast. “We always ascribe this prestigious title of auteur to basically only men, and then when you actually go further to examine their work, especially with Kojima - the way that he writes women…well, it's not good.”
Metal Francois Solid: Fortunately, a balance can be found between having no recognisable figurehead and putting too much weight on one person. Abdou believes that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 highlights a good way to blend mediums, using Andy Serkis’s performance in-game as a hook to generate Hollywood-esque attention levels. “Expedition 33 comes to mind, which had an actual press junket with the talent - film press style - and it was treated as an art piece as opposed to just a game launch.”
Sons of Liberty?: Yet just as thousands of unsung film and TV workers rarely get their due, many believe that figureheads and auteurs simply allow one person to claim credit for the work of vast teams. “Kojima’s existence as a celebratory can sometimes feel counterintuitive,” says Robinson, “Hideo’s fingerprints are clearly everywhere on his projects, but I wish we heard more about the other people behind the scenes. His games are the result of the work of hundreds of highly skilled people, and they deserve recognition too.”
(Un)virtuous mission: With Nintendo actively avoiding reporting who develops their games, it doesn’t look likely that we will have the chance to make that all-important human connection with the people who make games. “More than ever, with the bloated budgets and huge risk of big budget games, companies are even less willing to promote the people behind their games,” agrees Robinson, “ In 2025, game crediting is still the Wild West.”
A strong man doesn't need to read his future. He makes his own: Failing to build a wider human story around a game means that developers and publishers may well be failing to connect with their audience. “It's quite clear from the success that Kojima has had with Death Stranding, that gamers aren't looking for just online games or Battle Royales or things like this,” says Abdou, “They are looking for something that has an artistic vision.”
Arsenal gear: While superstar status doesn’t mean everything - as evidenced by legendary mech and Metal Gear Solid artist Yoji Shinkawa curiously hanging out with his entourage by a toilet to avoid the crowded VIP bar - it adds something to the industry mix that we’re lacking. And that’s something that you definitely wouldn’t be asked about at somewhere like Cannes, that’s for sure.
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News in brief
Bloodbath: Microsoft has cut 9,000 jobs across the world within its Xbox games division. The Initiative, the studio behind the Perfect Dark reboot, has closed. King has been hit by 200 job losses. ZeniMax’s online team has suffered heavy losses as a result of an MMORPG cancellation. Turn 10, the makers of Forza Motorsport, has laid off half of its staff. And Rare’s Everwild project has also been cancelled. Grim stuff.
Former games exec jailed: Rod Stafford, a former Unity executive, has been jailed for 22 years after being found guilty of committing 33 sex offenses including rape and non-penetrative activity with a child. In a statement to Game Developer, Unity said that Stafford was no longer an employee and no longer had a connection with the company. The question is i) why the company hired someone who had previously been jailed and dismissed from the British Army for committing sexual offences and ii) why Game Developer has been able to see documents suggesting Stafford was still on the company’s books as recently as April 2025 (i.e. when the trial commenced).
Former games execs nearly jailed: Three former Ubisoft executives have also been handed suspended prison sentences for committing a series of sexual and psychological harassment offences. Thomas Francois, Serge Hascoet, and Gulliaume Patrux were each handed fines and suspended prison sentences of three years, 18 months and 12 months by a court near Paris.
Leaky does it: Nintendo has accidentally leaked its full Switch 2 sales data early, revealing that the console has sold 5 million units globally in its first month on sale. With 1.8 million units sold across the Americas, 1.47 million units in its homeland of Japan, 1.18 million units sold in Europe and 550,000 devices across other territories, it’s an expectedly strong start for the Switch 2.
Uh-oh: And finally, 18-24 year old Americans are spending 25% less on video games than they were this time last year. The Wall Street Journal reports that the sharp decline in spending has been caused by hefty student loans, credit card debt and a shonky entry-level job market.
Moving on
Jasper Tanner-Barnes is the new Chief Portfolio Officer at Fireshine Games…Hasbro appoints Damon Baker as VP of Digital Licensing…Chris Avellone has joined Republic Games…Chantay Louis has joined Riot Games as EMA Lead on new title 2XKO…Olivier Perbet is the Chief Marketing & Revenue Officer at IO Interactive…And Tom Stone has been promoted to Senior Account Manager at Bastion…
Jobs ahoy
Avalanche Studios is hiring for a Senior Mission Designer, Stockholm…SEGA is recruiting a Junior Product Manager, Brentford…Bungie is looking for a Destiny Global Community Lead US, Artificial Core is hiring for a Senior Community Manager, EU…PCGamesN is hiring for a Deputy News Editor, UK…And Classy Games Studio has multiple roles open, including for a Gameplay Content Designer and Writer, over on its Discord…
Events and conferences
Develop, Brighton - 7th-9th July
VGIM Business Breakfast sponsored by Games Press, Brighton - 8th July
BitSummit, Kyoto - 18-20th July
Siggraph, Vancouver - 10th-14th August
gamescom, Cologne - 20th- 24th August
Game of the week - Donkey Kong: Bananza preview
Instead of a pick‘n’ mix of playable delights, this week, we’re going to gorge ourselves on one succulent main dish. Last week, I spent a wonderfully cathartic three hours at Nintendo HQ in Windsor breaking absolutely everything in sight.
And I am, of course, talking about playing Donkey Kong Bananza.
The Switch 2 exclusive is essentially the polar opposite of Minecraft, where instead of seeing the world as one of Lego-brick-filled architectural possibilities, Bananza gleefully encourages you to pulverise everything in sight.
In this physics-led platformer, our impatient primate swaps planning for pummelling, gleefully digging tunnels and smashing down walls like a home improvement TV host possessed.
It’s a little janky, but it’s genuinely fun. And the mix of Banjo-Kazooie-esque exploration paired with demolition is unlike anything else I’ve played.
The game releases on Thursday 17th July.
Before you go…
The upcoming Street Fighter film is announcing more and more of its cast and, so far, it’s looking authentically batshit.
From 50 Cent playing boxer Balrog, to Jason Momoa green-ing up for Blanka, and WWE superstar Roman Reigns cast as Akuma alongside Andrew Koji as Ryu, there’s potential for some wonderfully silly slap-ups to be had here.
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I wonder Kojima intentionally shields his team from potential negative backlash from the games that his team creates. I don't disagree that maybe there could be more celebration of the people behind the games, but at the same time, they may not want to be exposed to a lot of negativity coming from gamers. Indie studios are probably very aware of this too, choosing to remain hidden in case the next game they produce doesn't go as planned?
https://open.substack.com/pub/throbbybobby/p/top-10-games-of-the-year-this-far?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=44ps04