Johan Pilestedt, CEO of Arrowhead Game Studios, is a very vocal man on X. One glimpse at his profile and you can see him interacting with fans from the Helldivers 2 community, answering queries, and offering his opinion on happenings within the gaming industry.
Helldivers 2 wears many of its inspirations on its sleeve. It has borrowed heavily from the cult classic Starship Troopers, but that’s not the only franchise that inspired Pilestedt. In fact, in a recent interaction, he labeled a gaming stalwart as his role model.
Hideo Kojima Played a Big Role in Johan Pilestedt’s Journey in the Gaming Industry
Every new generation of game creators and studios is adding a new foundational layer to the history of the industry. The idea is to take what was done previously and improve upon it. When talking about people in the industry who have set a new standard, the conversation is incomplete without mentioning Hideo Kojima.
The man behind the groundbreaking Metal Gear Solid series, Kojima, has been a source of inspiration for many reasons. One needs to only play his games, such as Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, to understand the many innovative and unique gameplay mechanics he can implement in his titles.
Fulton surface-to-air recovery system, pretty dapper. Could be to cash in sample containers.
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 23, 2024
He is also a source of inspiration for many creators, and Pilestedt has admitted he holds him in high regard. Pilestedt asked the community to give him their best Eagle stratagem ideas when one reply suggested the Fulton surface-to-air recovery system. Pilestedt liked this suggestion, stating it could be used to cash in sample containers.
I mean, @Kojima_Hideo is one of my earliest game direction idols. I think we share a lot of philosophy and appreciation.
— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt) May 23, 2024
お礼を申し上げます.
This prompted another user to speak up with a question regarding the suggestion. They stated they see a lot of similarities between Helldivers 2 and Metal Gear Solid V and asked if the title acted as inspiration for the game or if it was just a coincidence. To this, Pilestedt replied that Kojima is one of his earliest game-direction idols and even thanked him at the end of the tweet in Japanese.
Kojima’s Influence Extends Far Beyond the Gaming Sphere
Hideo Kojima might be well-known for the Metal Gear Solid series, but he is well-known in Hollywood circles as well. He has worked with Guillermo del Toro on both Death Stranding and P.T. and is good friends with Norman Reedus. He’s held in such high regard that George Miller used Kojima as an example of who should lead the next Mad Max game!
Given that the first Metal Gear was released in 1987, the franchise has spanned across the major generations of gaming. Such a legacy series is bound to influence other games within the same generation, and we can be sure it will affect games to come for many generations.
With Kojima now working on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, we can expect another masterpiece of storytelling and art direction from the creator. The first game in the series might have been criticized as being too slow-paced, but one thing people can’t deny is the quality of the story and the stellar performances of all the actors involved.
Do you know any other games that borrowed elements from Metal Gear? Let us know in the comments below!
