Hideo Kojima still is not chasing easy entertainment, but the kind of experience that leaves a mark on the player, and according to Troy Baker, that is exactly what makes his work so special. The Death Stranding actor believes Kojima still creates with the same monumental, risky, concept-driven mindset that once defined the Metal Gear games.

Hideo Kojima’s games, including the Death Stranding series, can often divide audiences, but it is hard to deny that the legendary game designer approaches the medium in a way that feels entirely his own. Speaking to GamesRadar+ ahead of the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards, Troy Baker, who plays Higgs in the series, said Kojima’s philosophy is not built around making sure the player is constantly having fun, but around ensuring they walk away with something that stays with them.

“I think that there’s a lot of people that are making games – and I don’t blame them – that, right now, are trying to razzle dazzle the player the entire way and make sure that they’re having fun. After all, it’s entertainment. But I think that there’s other people who go, I would much rather have the player walk away impacted than entertained,” Baker said. He added that this is an inherently risky approach. “You do put a lot in the middle when you take that kind of philosophy in making something, especially of this size and this magnitude.”

According to Baker, Kojima is still working in much the same way he did during the Metal Gear era. “Hideo is still making games in very much the way that he made Metal Gear, where it is so conceptualized, and so huge, and so thought out that I think the only way he knows how to swing is big. And when you do that with trust, and you surround yourself with talented people – not only in the cast, but also in the crew – and you still execute that, man, it’s a miracle. Truly is a miracle.”

While Metal Gear Solid managed to retain a certain mainstream appeal, Kojima went all in with the Death Stranding franchise to create something far more unusual, something that can be difficult to get into at first. That appears to have been exactly what the legendary designer wanted, as he reportedly made changes during development because the game was not polarizing enough. It would be fascinating to know exactly what was altered, especially since I found the second entry in the series far more accessible than its predecessor, and ultimately more enjoyable right from the beginning of Sam’s new journey through Mexico and then Australia.

That philosophy remains central to Kojima Productions going forward. The studio is currently working on the horror project OD and on Physint, a return to the stealth genre. Neither title has received an official release date yet.

Source: Wccftech