Hideo Kojima, the creator of the Metal Gear Solid games, revealed that he was disappointed with a small detail in the development of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. In a series of Tweets, Kojima shared that he couldn’t obtain the rights to a particular song he believed was essential for an important scene in the game.
In a particular scene, an AI weapon based on The Boss character kills itself by drowning, accompanied by a song that Hideo Kojima, the game’s creator, thought encapsulated the themes of peace and the game’s 1970s setting. Despite extensive negotiations, the rights for the song couldn’t be secured, possibly due to the game’s classification as a “gun-shooting game.”
Hideo Kojima had to use a different song, “Sing” by Joe Raposo, after being unable to use his original choice. Kojima regretted not being able to realize his initial vision while acknowledging “Sing” as a great song. The song he initially wanted to use remains unknown.
This incident shows how tricky it can be to get the right music for video games. Today that might not be as much of an issue as games are taken more seriously. Tweets from Kojima give us a rare look into how even a song choice can haunt a developer who cares enough. He never revealed the first song choice, but I’m sure it would have had much more impact.
Adding to his comments, Kojima mentioned that Peace Walker was initially planned as Metal Gear Solid 5: Peace Walker. However, Konami’s marketing department disagreed with this title. That’s pretty interesting, and it makes sense on both ends. Marketing a PSP exclusive as the next big title for a huge series like this would be a bad idea. It’d make sense because the game follows the storyline of Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, which is its prequel.
Kojima also mentioned that the game was designed for a younger audience of elementary, junior high, and high school students because of its release on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) platform. He wanted to attract a new generation of Metal Gear Solid fans. Even though it was a niche console, it still got a lot of attention and is one of the best games in the series.
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