Although Hideo Kojima's games, such as the Death Stranding series, can be divisive, anyone who has experienced them cannot deny that the legendary game designer's approach is unique. According to actor Troy Baker, who plays Higgs in the series, this stems from a vision that prioritizes making the player "walk away impacted than entertained," a philosophy that allows him to "swing big" in a way that feels miraculous.
"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," Baker said in an interview with GamesRadar+ ahead of the 2026 BAFTA Games Awards. "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." This approach is inherently risky. "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," Baker added.
"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," Baker said. "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 retained a sort of mainstream appeal, with the Death Stranding franchise, Hideo Kojima has gone all-in to create a really different experience, which can be hard to get into. This seems to be exactly what the legendary game designer wanted for it, as he made changes during development because it wasn't polarizing enough. It would be quite interesting to see exactly what was changed, as I have found the second entry in the series to be way more accessible than its predecessor and ultimately more fun right from the beginning of Sam's new journey through Mexico and then Australia.
Looking ahead, this "impact-first" philosophy remains central to Kojima Productions. The studio is currently working on the horror project OD and a return to the stealth genre with Physint. Both titles have yet to receive official release dates.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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