Hideo Kojima’s Upcoming Book, The Creative Gene, Will Be Translated to English

Hideo Kojima's book, The Creative Gene, will be translated to English by VIZ Media. The book explores the movies, music and literature that have inspired Kojima and led to his many innovations in the realm of video games. The Creative Gene is set to be released in October 2021.

Smangaliso Simelane 2021-02-20

Legendary Japanese video game designer Hideo Kojima has always been a bit of an enigma in the gaming world. Iconic games he is associated with include the Metal Gear Solid series which helped popularize the stealth genre, as well as Death Stranding which combines eccentric storytelling with picturesque landscapes to trek through. His unique gameplay design and quirky personality has made him the most followed game director on both Instagram and Twitter, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. In an upcoming book titled “The Creative Gene: How Books, Movies, and Music Inspired the Creator of Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid“, Hideo Kojima will be revealing some of his many artistic influences and inspirations. The book will be published and translated to English by VIZ Media.

As Polygon explains, the book was originally published in Japan in 2019 under the title “The Gifted Gene and My Lovable Memes”. It is a collection of essays in which Kojima discusses some of his favorite books, movies, and music.

Announcement: Hideo Kojima, creator of Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid, explores the influences and inspirations that shape his work. The Creative Gene drops Fall 2021. pic.twitter.com/VKL6yXtK79

— VIZ (@VIZMedia) February 19, 2021

The influence of books, movies and music have been plainly obvious in many of Hideo Kojima’s works, and this is discussed in depth in The Creative Gene. The Metal Gear Solid series draws inspiration from a wide array of movies including science-fiction classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey, as seen with Hal Emmerich’s first name. In an interview with Eurogamer, Kojima discussed how the music of Low Roar helped shape Death Stranding. As Kojima explains:

I thought Low Roar’s music would match this harsh but beautiful and pure environmental setting. I also felt somewhat of a connection to Low Roar and the game, the matching of Low Roar’s acoustic but digital futuristic sound and the concept of Death Stranding.

The Creative Gene will be released on the 12^th of October, 2021.