Hideo Kojima’s new Credit Card and Sake collab prove one thing - whatever madness he’s got planned will be even wilder

The year was 1998, I had just started playing Metal Gear Solid on PlayStation, and I got to the part where you had to find Meryl’s Codec frequency. In the game, Baker gives you a CD that’s supposed to have her frequency on the other side, but the problem was, you couldn’t actually flip the item in the game. I spent forever wondering how the hell I was supposed to figure it out, until I finally realized (by accident) the answer was written on the back of the actual Metal Gear Solid CD case. That’s when I knew Kojima was a straight-up genius. And that was just the start, then came the legendary Psycho Mantis boss fight. I could go on forever like this; Hideo Kojima has so many wild ideas throughout the MGS series and in Death Stranding. But let’s zoom in on his latest ventures that go beyond gaming: Hideo Kojima Credit Cards and Kojima Productions’ own sake.

Kojima Productions' 10th anniversary. A toast to creative freedom

Yesterday, Geoff Keighley posted on X that “Hideo Kojima has announced the Hideo Kojima Credit Card with MUFG bank,” and, of course, the internet went absolutely wild. I’m not entirely sure why, but again, maybe I’m just used to his bizarre ideas.

The card is being developed with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), the same bank that gave Kojima a loan when he started Kojima Productions. It’s set to launch in Japan in the second half of 2026, and I wouldn’t expect it to go worldwide.

Source: X

Cardholders will earn points for their spending, which can be used for exclusive Kojima Productions merch and maybe even in-game items (possibly some you can’t get anywhere else). Details are still sparse, though.

That said, this isn’t totally new territory for gaming companies. Sony and Microsoft have done their own branded financial products before. But let’s move on to the other announcement that also dropped yesterday.

Source: X

Kojima Productions teamed up with Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten, a 160-year-old sake brewery from Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, to create a special line of sake. The result is ZAKU LUDENS, two premium bottles.

Source: Kojima Productions

This sake was brewed to celebrate the studio’s 10th anniversary. Hard to believe it’s been a decade since Kojima split from Konami. Back then, Konami was reportedly shifting toward mobile games and monetization, while Kojima was dead set on making big, cinematic experiences. In December 2015, he officially left, started Kojima Productions as an independent studio, and with that freedom, Death Stranding was born.

So again, I don’t really get what all the fuss is about and why some people are so confused. Kojima’s just celebrating 10 years of independence and complete creative control. I trust the guy with my whole existence, so I’m just gonna sit back and let him do his thing.

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• Hideo Kojima
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