Konami denied Hideo Kojima from making a game based on The Matrix

The Wachowskis, who are the original creators of The Matrix trilogy, reportedly asked Hideo Kojima to create a game based on the franchise in the late 90s. Konami’s CEO, Kazumi Kitaue, reportedly outright refused the proposal, according to an exclusive interview conducted by Time Extension. The interviewee was Christopher Bergstresser, who was previously Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Development at Konami from 1996 to 2002. 

The event occurred on Aug. 25, 1999, the day the original film debuted in Japan. The Wachowskis were supposedly huge fans of Kojima, going as far as visiting Konami’s headquarters to meet with him. Kojima reportedly had a strong interest in the proposal, resulting in disappointment among his team that the collaboration never came to fruition. 

At the time, Hideo Kojima, the creator of the stealth game genre through his works in the Metal Gear Solid series and now the director of the Death Stranding series, was working under Konami. He departed the publisher to create his own independent studio: Kojima Productions. 

Kojima’s latest game is Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which was released on June 26, 2025, as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. The cast of the game holds a surprise party to celebrate the player’s birthday in-game, a standing tradition from the title’s predecessor.