The Matrix game that never was: when The Wachowskis wanted Hideo Kojima to take the red pill
A former Konami VP reveals that Kojima almost developed a Matrix video game.
Can you imagine a Matrix video game developed by Hideo Kojima himself? At some point in late 1999, this could have been a reality, had it not been for Konami and the development of Metal Gear Solid 2.
In an interview with Time Extension, former Konami vice president of licensing Christopher Bergstresser discussed one of the oldest rumors surrounding the Japanese developer. Apparently, The Wachowskis, writers and directors behind The Matrix films, wanted Kojima to develop a video game based on their movie.
“The Wachowskis were big fans of Kojima,” Bergstresser said. “So Kazumi Kitaue, Kojima, Aki Saito (who still works with Kojima), 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. 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.’ We did still get to enjoy the Matrix Japanese premiere and afterparty, though.”
The Matrix in video games
And although there are other anonymous sources at Konami who claim that there was “strong interest” in the game, it is assumed that the decision not to make this title was due to the early stages of development of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, which was released in 2001 and was one of the titles acclaimed by critics and fans alike.
As for The Matrix, the franchise did have its own video game, but it was developed by Shiny Entertainment. Enter The Matrix was released in 2003, and despite not being critically acclaimed, it sold 5 million copies in its first year and featured over an hour of footage written and directed by the Wachowskis. Later, Monolith Production released the MMO The Matrix Online, as well as The Matrix: Path of Neo, a game that compiled the film trilogy into a single adventure.
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