The late 1990s saw the rise and popularity of many different media that would go on to be considered some of the best that their respective mediums would allow, be it with movies like The Matrix, or video games like Metal Gear Solid hitting the original PlayStation. It turns out that the creators of The Matrix – the Wachowskis – at one point wanted Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima to head up a game based on the sci-fi cyberpunk film.
Speaking to Time Extension, former vice president of Konami Digital Entertainment Christopher Bergstresser revealed that the film-makers had approached the company for this, noting that they were big fans of Kojima’s work. He confirmed that Konami executive Kazumi Kitaue simply said “No” when approached by the Wachowskis in 1999, just in time for the film’s Japanese theatrical release.
“The Wachowskis were big fans of Kojima,” said Bergstresser. “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 time frame lines up rather nicely with Kojima and his team working on Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, which would be released on PS2 in 2001. While the exact reasons why Kitaue said no to the Wachowskis are unknown, it might have something to do with the company’s lack of interest in adapting a licensed property.
As for the Wachowskis, the two film makers have long been fans of Japanese media, with these inspirations manifesting in their many works, ranging from the Ghost in the Shell influences in The Matrix and the entire existence of The Animatrix, to the visual style that the two sisters went with for Speed Racer. The Matrix eventually got three games – Enter The Matrix, The Matrix Online, and Path of Neo – showcasing that they were also fans of gaming as a medium for the opportunities it provided for storytelling.
Interestingly, according to another former employee of Konami, Kojima had expressed some interest in partnering up with the Wachowskis despite the company itself declining. Kojima seemingly showed “strong interest” in a potential partnership, and the creative teams felt “immense disappointment” at it ultimately never happening.
Kojima himself would go on to reference The Matrix in his games, including the Metal Gear titles, in some ways, especially when it came to tackling some of the heaver subject matters that Sons of Liberty was known for at the time.
More recently, The Matrix got a tech demo that showcased the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5, dubbed The Matrix Awakens. While it has since been delisted from digital stores, you can check out more details in our coverage.
