If there's one game developer who could truly make it to space, it's Hideo Kojima. With his extensive network, he recently discussed what he would do on a space trip—naturally, developing a game would be high on the agenda.
In an episode of the Koji10 podcast, the father of Metal Gear discussed his interstellar travel concepts. "Before going to the Moon, Mars, or Venus, I want to first leave the atmosphere and look down at Earth," he said. "That's the priority. After that, I want to experience weightlessness."
But there's a practical issue: he suffers from motion sickness. "I might get space sickness once I'm up there," he explained. "I'm very prone to carsickness and seasickness. When I was younger, I was even on the gymnastics team, but I'd throw up just from swinging on the bars."
I totally get that feeling—I can't handle boats at all, and even fast downhill car rides make me nauseous. Zero gravity would likely be a significant challenge for him. Regardless, he also mentioned wanting to experience re-entry into the atmosphere and trying to eat while floating in zero gravity.
He then discussed his ideas for making games in space. "I also want to create a game that can be played in zero gravity," he mentioned. "People are upside down in space, so the control logic definitely needs to change. Send me to the International Space Station; I'll spend six months there making it, then return to Earth."
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) is one of the partners involved in the International Space Station, so this sounds like a formal proposal. Hideo Kojima isn't sure exactly what the game would look like, but he believes he'll figure it out once he gets to space.
"I'd stay there for a while, look at Earth, think 'this is getting a bit boring,' and then start wondering what kind of game I'd want to play," he explained. "You can't imagine it unless you've lived in space. It's impossible to figure out on Earth. I'd think about what's fun and what's practical. Plus, the controls would be different since people might be upside down."
That point makes sense. If you were to make Death Stranding 3 for astronauts floating in space, the game's core mechanics probably wouldn't hold up. Speaking of which, his hypothetical vacation on the International Space Station has essentially turned into a second residency mission.
"I'll finalize the gameplay and controls first, then return to Earth to complete the game, and go back to space afterward," he mused. "I'll go for a second time."
The logic is sound, actually. With limited resources and space on the station, it's best to return to Earth to finish development, then go back for testing and launch. The producer behind both OD and Physint doesn't mind contributing in other ways, but game development remains his core expertise.
"I'd like to go to space with a different mission, but I really don't have any other skills," he concluded. Maybe if he scans a few astronauts for body models, this idea could actually work out.