„No.” One word from Konami's CEO killed the dream of a Matrix game from the Metal Gear Solid creator

In 1999, the idea for a very interesting collaboration was born. As part of it, Hideo Kojima was supposed to make a game set in the Matrix universe, which was released in cinemas at the time. However, this never happened because Konami immediately rejected the idea.

Konami didn't want the Matrix

Time Extension published an article that includes an interview with Christopher Bergstresser, a former vice president of licensing at Konami. He revealed that at one time, the Wachowski brothers – creators of The Matrix – approached Hideo Kojima with an offer to make a game in their universe .

At that time, the legendary Japanese game designer already had titles like Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, and Metal Gear Solid to his name. These games were highly acclaimed, and the Wachowskis themselves were big fans of Kojima. It's no surprise they chose him.

Bergstresser shared that even though the director duo reached out directly to Kojima, Kazumi Kitaue, the executive producer at Konami, shot down their idea right away.

Konami was busy at the time doing Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Taking on another major project at such a crucial moment for the studio could have negatively impacted the anticipated development schedule.

What's interesting, Time Extension also spoke with another anonymous Konami employee. According to their account, Kojima, despite Kitaue's response, still showed great interest in the Matrix game. The team members were apparently "super bummed out" by the management's decision.

Ultimately, a few years after this event, in 2003, players received Enter The Matrix. It was developed by Shiny Entertainment and published by Atari. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the game turned out to be a commercial success.

Enter The Matrix

May 14, 2003

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• Overview

• Konami
• Matrix (franchise)
• Hideo Kojima
• games trivia
• Wachowski