Hideo Kojima Nearly Made a Matrix Game Before Konami Said No

Hideo Kojima once came close to making a Matrix video game, but Konami ultimately shut the idea down.

Hideo Kojima almost worked on a Matrix game after meeting the Wachowskis

It’s one of those “what if” stories that gaming fans love to imagine. According to a recent report by Time Extension, the Wachowskis, directors of The Matrix, personally approached Hideo Kojima in the late 1990s to see if he would create a video game adaptation of their groundbreaking sci-fi film. Kojima, already riding high on the success of Metal Gear Solid, was interested. But Konami, his employer at the time, had other plans.

Former Konami Digital Entertainment vice president Christopher Bergstresser recalled the meeting in detail. He explained that Kojima, producer Kazumi Kitaue, and Aki Saito were at Konami’s Tokyo headquarters when the Wachowskis arrived with concept artist Geoff Darrow. They pitched the idea directly: “We really want you to do the Matrix game. Can you do that?”

As Bergstresser told Time Extension, the request was translated for Kitaue, who bluntly replied, “No.” Konami wanted Kojima focused on Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, which was already in early development.

Kojima and his team did attend the Japanese premiere of The Matrix and its afterparty, but the collaboration never went further. Instead, the license went to Shiny Entertainment, which produced Enter the Matrix (2003) and The Path of Neo (2005). While those games had their moments, they never quite captured the cultural impact of the films.

Interestingly, some accounts suggest Kojima himself expressed "strong interest" in the idea even after the rejection. Another former Konami employee told Time Extension that members of Kojima’s team were “immensely disappointed” to miss out on the project. Given Kojima’s flair for cinematic storytelling and his knack for blending philosophy with action, it’s easy to see why.