Shortly after unveiling several abandoned video game concepts—including a "Forgetting Game" where the protagonist progressively loses key memories and skills if the player takes extended breaks—Hideo Kojima has now disclosed that he left his team a USB drive full of game ideas to be used after his death.

As VGC reports, Kojima shared this sobering detail with Edge magazine, discussing how his perspective shifted during the pandemic.

“Turning 60 wasn’t as impactful as what I went through during the pandemic,” he explained. “I became seriously ill at that time and even underwent eye surgery. Before that, I never felt my age—I just assumed I’d keep creating for the rest of my life.

“But then illness struck, and I couldn’t create anything. I also witnessed many people around me pass away. I was faced with my own mortality. Of course, I got better, but it made me wonder: How many years do I actually have left to develop games or films? Maybe just ten?”

This new outlook not only motivated Kojima to launch multiple new projects but also led him to create the USB drive as a kind of "digital will," intended to guide Kojima Productions after he’s gone.

“I handed a USB stick with all my ideas over to my personal assistant—almost like a will,” he said. “Maybe they can continue creating at Kojima Productions even when I’m no longer here… That’s one of my worries: What becomes of the studio after I’m gone? I don’t want them just managing existing IP.”

Earlier this week, IGN reported on Kojima’s thoughts about weaving real-time progression into video games. Kojima not only reflected on time-based mechanics from past titles but also shared unused ideas—including one that was cut from the upcoming Death Stranding 2: On The Beach.

“I’ve considered having characters' hair grow in-game,” Kojima mentioned during a recent broadcast of his Japanese radio podcast, KOJI10. “Initially in Death Stranding 2, I planned to let Sam’s beard grow over time, requiring players to shave it. Without maintenance, Sam would look unkempt,” he said. “But Norman Reedus is a major star, and I didn’t want to make him appear uncool!” Still, Kojima noted the concept may appear in a future title.

Kojima also unveiled three game ideas that use real-world time passage as a core gameplay element. The first is a life-simulation game: “It begins with the player’s birth. You start as a child and gradually age into adulthood. Throughout the game, you battle various foes. Similar to MGS3’s The End sniper, your character continues to age as you play—reaching 70 or 80 years old. Naturally, aging brings physical decline: weaker strength, poorer eyesight. While teenage years mean faster running, by 60 you'll slow down,” Kojima explained. He added that although younger characters are physically stronger, older ones benefit from wisdom and experience—forcing players to adapt their tactics. “But no one would buy it!” Kojima joked, though podcast guests expressed excitement for such a uniquely “Kojima” experience.

Another concept he shared is a game where players create items that mature over time, like wine or cheese. This would encourage regular, long-term engagement, making it suitable as a background or idle game.

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Finally, Kojima outlined a “forgetting game” that players would need to complete rapidly. In this scenario, the protagonist steadily loses critical knowledge and abilities if the player doesn’t engage regularly. For instance, skipping daily play might cause the character to forget how to shoot a weapon or recall their mission. This memory loss accumulates until the character becomes immobilized. “Players would probably need to take a week off from work or school to finish it,” Kojima laughed.

It’s an incredibly busy period for Kojima and his team at Kojima Productions (now we understand why!). Alongside Death Stranding 2, Kojima is collaborating with A24—the studio behind Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once—on a live-action Death Stranding film. He’s also developing OD for Xbox Game Studios and the game-movie hybrid Physint for Sony.

No release dates have been set for OD or Physint. In fact, Kojima confirmed in January that the video game voice actors strike had impacted development on both projects, so it may be a while before we receive further updates.