An absolutely powerful video to basically say farewell and thank you to all of his fans. In the video, series creator and legendary director Hideo Kojima goes out to the key people who helped him create Metal Gear Solid V to the best and highest standard it could be. These include designers, composers, voice actors, members of the press and fans. The above 10 minute video was put up on the Konami channel as well as linked out by various social mediums that belong to Konami. Whether or not it was an obligatory act or a sign of repairing burnt bridges, it changes nothing about the powerful message that Kojima and his works convey.
Despite the adversities presented to Kojima and his team, he was able to have a solid group of people who worked tirelessly with him and with such conviction. People like Kyle Cooper who admired the creative way Kojima approached his work: “You sort of think the solution to the problem- well it’s this kind of problem means this… I think it’s brilliant that the way you come at is different… there are a lot of games that go in this direction and the way you think about it is innovative I think.” or even Troy Baker (The voice of Ocelot) who commented in the video that: “You inspired people to make a better game because of the games you have created.” With countless people praising Kojima for the innovation and creativity he has with designing games, it’s easy to see how he could be so strong whilst trudging through arguably his toughest year in his career.
It was brought back home when young Sean Gillespie who was battling through cancer. During that time he turned to Kojima’s games and sent his team a letter that Kojima read to the them: “I shared Sean’s message to the team and it motivated everyone to complete the game”. An absolutely powerful scene during the video shows him walking through the house and into his room to see the love that Sean had for the Metal Gear series.
Kojima spoke throughout the video about his gratefulness for his fans and the strength that their support has for him:
When I announced a release date for MGSV, I swore to follow through, and not disappoint them. The players are everything. Without them, nothing I do would matter. My mission is to exceed their expectations. It’s all that matters to me. Their energy brought me to where I am today. In that sense, all the fans have created this game with me. So I wanted to express my thanks.
Offering a tribute to Sean the “honorary member of the team whose message of support and love for the series gave us strength during our toughest hour”, the video signs off with Hideo talking to the fans and sending his appreciation to all.
Rest assured that I’ve been working on making MGSV the best it can possibly be: balancing and tweaking right up until the very end. Players will not be disappointed. I am sorry it took so long, but I feel we’ve created something very special and I hope everyone will enjoy it. Thank you all.