Koji 10, コジ10, Ep.12: (S.2, ep.1) Let’s Make the Best 10pm!

Airing on TBS Radio, Mondays @ 10pm, in Japan, in Japanese.

Partnered with TBS Announcer Manoko Hibi.

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So what are people doing at 10pm ?

Hibi: I’m usually drinking. 

K: At 10pm I’m usually finishing up work, and start watching a movie. Cleaning up and taking a bath comes later. It’s usually “my time “then a bit later I start thinking about what I want to do tomorrow. So everyone please listen for one hour at 10 PM. Sometimes I’m Working on photos.

2:45: Kojima Self Intro, (again)

K: if it’s important, it’s OK to do it again. Ha ha. I grew up with Radio. At 10 PM I was usually going back to the dormitory or helping someone get home and it was radio time, study time or just plain all running around time. Being on the radio at 10 PM is kind of a dream come true for me.

Hibi: it’s a worldwide dream.

K: I dream of being on the radio and going to Outer space. In a voice only world, we get to spend time together. You can hear About the rain, snow or accidents that happened on the road so you know you’re not alone. DS connected us, and it becomes a long-term connection. If we see each other every day, people tend to argue. But not on the radio. I would love to do this for the next 10 years. Ha ha Koji 10.

Hibi: I visited the Koji studio and saw the trailer. The sound, the THX studio, and the feeling. It was a very impressive first visit for me. I wondered are they listening? Are they working? 

K: In regards to the trailer, The ceremony went ahead. Now The staff members families understand what we are working on. The secret is out. It’s strange when I go to America, the trailer was shown at SXSW, and everyone said congratulations!

 This kind of makes me nervous because I’m not done yet. It’s my editing and my sales. 95% of DS2 work is done. 

Hibi: Just a few more months.

K: at 10 PM it gives me two hours Left in the day for helping Kojima productions. Do you play video games?

Hibi: Almost nine. Haha. I am preparing to host an event for my school alumni.

K: Well, I do ! And I also watch a lot of movies. The movies helped me see where I want to go with development. You should try DS2. Definitely try the PS five Pro because it’s a 60 frame machine.More than gaming right now, people are listening. Ha ha, DS2 isn’t out yet.

Hibi: You did get a lot of email.

K: That’s great, I can say things on the radio that I don’t get to talk about by email. Ha ha. But don’t take me so seriously. Ha ha.

Hibi: Email: Koji10@tbs.co.jp You can email Kojima your questions. 

If we use Your question, we will send you a Koji10 sticker. We have new Stickers for season two.

12:00min: Self intro: there isn’t anything new for the next five minutes or so. Ha ha. In 1963 he was born in Tokyo. In 1986 he joined Konami and helped make MG, etc. In 1998 the MGS series, he also helped with. From 2015 he Became a solo indie artist. Now he is developing DS2 & OD. He is a fan of the world arts, Hollywood, a movie fanatic, and top runner in the gaming industry.

K: well, really I’m only actively trying to be a top runner In the entertainment, gaming industry.

Hibi: So what kind of person are you? Well, I’m a pretty typical Kansai guy. I was born in Tokyo, in Sagaya Ward in Chigasaki area. We lived near the ocean. My dad was a regular Working employee. Then we moved to Kobe. And my mom was from Kansai, And my dad was from Tokyo. At New Year’s time there’s always a little bit of a competition between the eastern Japan with me and my dad, versus Western Japan my mom and my big brother. I never really returned to Tokyo, but I really love, Tokyo. Tokyo has the mini theaters, the bands, concert sales. Con I has the foreign movie theaters, Monday to Friday 9 PM. I was able to see many movies.

16:00 mark: I watched a lot of macaroni westerns. I used to practice their voice. Sometimes my dad would be with me and it wasn’t really kid stuff kind of movies. Suddenly he would say, hey Hideo! What are you looking at this for?!? There wasn’t a lot of videos in those days and it was mostly just TV at home. To watch Godzilla, I had to go to a movie theater. 

From grade 5, I could go watch foreign movies by train. I would watch it at two different places. I would go to the second place even halfway through the movie. Then I would go for coffee.It was OK with my dad as long as I had brought a pamphlet home. 

I remember the Pink Panther series. I took my brother to watch pink Panther too. But, the word “pink “gave me some trouble. My dad thought it was pink movies. But then finally pink Panther 2 came out and my whole family went. However, that movie ended up having a lot of love scenes. Ha ha.Yikes! 

I also watched a lot of documentaries. There was a lot of books at home. At first, I was too young to read them, but I would go to a bookstore and Hang out, feeling like I Was an adult. 

I remember Detective Colombo Series. I would memorize a book. When I return home from the school. I would hit the bookstore. About every 20 pages there was a photo so I read to that point. Then went home. But there are always endless new books coming out. It seems frustrating, doesn’t it Anyways, daily I would not have any of my own time, and 10 PM would be the book or movie or finishing up work time.

How did I end up making games? There were not any game centers. The only time I would see a game centre would be when the school sports team went somewhere. Famicon came out during my university days. Then I learned about the existence of Konami and Sega. During that time I wanted to make movies. My friends were going into the banking or economy industries. This wasn’t interesting for me. Finally I bought a family con when it came out and I wasn’t able to finish a game by 10 PM. Then I got hooked into trying to finish the game. 

20:30 mark: I got hooked into trying to finish the game. By fourth year university, I wanted to give up and start drawing and creating things. I wanted to be the champion in the game. Everyone seems to be against the gaming industry, but even now it exists. It’s a huge industry. back then there wasn’t much of a story to the games. I wanted to add the story. I looked at the industry as if it was Apple or Google. I want it to be creative. I remember seeing people just wearing jeans and sweaters like what question! Question that looks like a great company to work for. If people are listening, it will be OK. I saw bands, comic book, and novelist. They were all the same. They were part of the gaming industry. 

I worked for and studied at Konami for 20 or 30 years. Most salaried men work until they’re about 60 years old. Then they want to start making something. They want to make a their own brand then the amount of stuff they’re higher increases. Now it doesn’t feel like freedom anymore. A game takes about five years to make. So it’s difficult to have freedom because people think,? He can’t, he’s busy making a game. With making movies, they are Made faster and a lot of energy is needed. I can’t really do that.

25:00 mark: now since 60 I see in my life. Yikes! So I asked Del Toro what should I do for the next 10 years? DS2? OD? I also have to keep the staff employed. Del Toro told me that I always wanted to make a movie so I should do that. So then I am torn between making a movie, or making DS2. Employees always need the next project. 

The fans are waiting too. I’m getting closer to moving making. Making commercials is a quick tasty way to make money. Game shows with a new look is also an idea. So DS came first.

The goal is to make my IP bigger. A multifaceted IP. Which includes PC, and Apple. Phase one: CGI challenge so OD. Phase 2 would be a movie/animation to diversify the IP. Next for page 3 I don’t know. A movie? A game? Say do you know anyone in Romania any connections with Dracula? Someone who could suck me up for the next hundred years. Pink Panther is a series that has continued for many years.

29:00 marker

From 60 years old, I started to think about how to use my time efficiently. Until Corona, I really didn’t care. Since Then my health has deteriorated. I wake up every morning and do some training. A lot of people are like this. It’s kind of turned into an SF season. Ha ha.

Hibi: How do you make your industry connections?

K: I always make Direct contacts. For example, if I read a book, watch a movie, or listen to music, and I think it’s nice then I wanna meet the person. So I go and meet them. I don’t use the in between person. Generally they know about the game, and then we are able to go for dinner together. Recently, however it’s become interesting. I say good morning. I post the music of a band. Then I get an immediate follow from the band members. I don’t know if they like me or not, but if they think I’m like that, then I’m happy. But I say I am just a game designer. Then we start emailing each other. If I get to the point of hiring offers, then I go to meet the people. I need to make sure I meet them in person and make sure we get along. If we make a contract, we will be together for a good five years.

Since 2020 I have been working with wood kid, we met in Paris With his director, and he came to Tokyo. We worked in offices beside each other and even met for breakfast. Artistry is visual as well as auditory.

34:00 mark : Q&A:

1: From MasaPon: Congratulations on your podcast series! 

2: From Snatcher & Polis: With the feeling of a remake….( K: sorry I cannot “remake”. ) with working domestic, where are your interesting places? K: I really enjoy Iceland. I encourage people to go and see Iceland with its nature, retro style, it’s a different kind of New World. I also go to LA a lot. And in New York. I really like London with this music, dark, fun, narrow streets. Where everybody stands at the bar and drinks. Berlin is interesting and has changed a lot. But living in Japan is where I want to be and is best.

3: From Namoko: having lived half a stone, DS on PS five was my first game in my life. Will DS2 have a very easy mode? I found the action series very difficult.

K: it’s funny how people have pride when gaming. They usually pick a level harder than they are capable of. I got a lot of emails about people having difficulty with the action series. When friends are around, you can play as normal mode. So for DS2, yes, it will have, but it will have a different name. Sony might get angry at me for this. You will need to have action then game over. Below the “continue “there will be like a novel which recommends for example, a left hook, then they will die. So yes, Very easy, will be possible.

Easy Mode —-> Game Over

               Or —>  Contiue (Go back and perform X)

40:00 mark: Next week we Can continue to discuss DS2, get emails, and many topics. If we pick your phone consultation, we will give you a new sticker.

Final song: New Order, Subculture. 

You can learn more from Apple, Spotify, podcast, YouTube archives, and X off shoots. See you next week.

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