Hideo Kojima

Hideo Kojima (小島 秀夫, Kojima Hideo; born August 24, 1963) is a Japanese video game designer, writer, director, producer, and internet personality. He is best known for the Metal Gear franchise, which remains his most famous and acclaimed work, as well as Death Stranding and its sequel. His games are noted for being highly cinematic, the result of a passion for film and literature which began during his childhood, and he is regarded as a pioneering auteur of video games.

Upon joining Konami in 1986, Kojima directed, designed, and wrote Metal Gear (1987) for the MSX2. The game laid the foundation for the stealth game genre and the renowned Metal Gear franchise, which he continued to direct for 28 years up to the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015). During his time at Konami, he created the Boktai series as well as producing the Zone of the Enders series and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. He also designed and wrote Snatcher (1988) and Policenauts (1994), which were graphic adventure games that came to be regarded for their cinematic presentation.