As a 31-year-old, I often ponder my inevitable demise. After being assassinated while saving a baby who also happens to be the president from a fiery blaze, how would I like to be remembered?

Fortunately, my contract ensures I will be embalmed and displayed at the PC Gamer offices indefinitely, though not everyone has that privilege (we’re short on desk space).

Hideo Kojima, on the other hand, aims for a form of immortality by packing a USB stick with ideas for his colleagues to utilize once he is gone.

In a conversation with Edge magazine, Kojima recounted that a serious illness during the Covid-19 pandemic made him aware of his mortality: “Before then, I didn’t consider myself old. I always felt young and assumed I could create indefinitely.”

However, his illness forced a sobering realization. “During that time, my creativity faltered, and I witnessed many people pass away. Death confronted me directly.”

Although Kojima recovered and is actively working on Death Stranding 2, the experience lingered in his mind, prompting him to question his creative lifespan—“Perhaps I’ll have around ten years left?”

This confrontation with death also inspired the concept for Physint, along with the initiative to equip his team with a USB stick containing his ideas—“I handed a USB stick loaded with my thoughts to my assistant, somewhat akin to a will.”

“The hope is they can keep creating at Kojima Productions after I’m gone. I fear the studio might merely manage our existing IP.”

Honestly, I can’t envision a scenario more characteristic of Kojima than new games bearing his name even in 2150. He certainly deserves this level of intellectual preservation. After all, this is the genius who pioneered a Game Boy Advance game featuring a built-in solar sensor.

Let’s hope Kojima’s assistant made backups of his innovative concepts!