In 2018, Hideo Kojima, the renowned creator of the Metal Gear series, visited Valve’s headquarters to discuss his new project, Death Stranding. Recently, emails have been made public in the context of the lawsuit between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, revealing the personal and professional connection between Kojima and Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve. After the meeting, Newell offered to introduce Kojima to people at OpenAI and Musk, highlighting Kojima’s interest in artificial intelligence and space.
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Kojima, known for being a true visionary in the field of video games, expressed his fervent desire to travel to space. In his book, The Creative Gene, he mentions: “If I could make a wish, it would be to go to space before I die”. The intensity of this aspiration has even led him to consider sacrificing his career and personal relationships for a brief experience in Earth’s orbit.
Despite Musk showing interest in facilitating a tour of the SpaceX factory for Kojima, the meeting never materialized. Even in 2020, Kojima’s desire to visit SpaceX remained strong, as affirmed by Musk himself on Twitter: “He is always welcome.” Thus, the Japanese creator’s desire to explore the cosmos has been made clear on multiple occasions, highlighting his passion for space exploration.
Regarding his interest in OpenAI, Musk expressed in an email that his involvement with the organization is limited, although he remains in contact. This exchange also highlighted Newell’s concerns about the potential of neuromodulation, a topic that later led him to found his own neuroscience company: Starfish Neuroscience.
The emails, which also reveal intriguing technical aspects about Neuralink, are a testament to the intersection between entertainment technology and scientific advancements today.
