The Real Reason Kojima Ditched In Game Ads
As many know, Hideo Kojima is the legendary game director responsible for the "Metal Gear" series and "Death Stranding." Because Kojima is one of the few auteur video game directors producing triple-a games, he does things a bit differently than the rest. For example, Kojima isn't afraid to put real-world ads in his games. Fellow developers, such as Rockstar Games often shy away from this concept, instead opting to use parody products in its games.
One of the best examples of Kojima putting real-world ads in his games comes from his most recent title, "Death Stranding," where Monster Energy drinks are an integral part of the game's recovery mechanics, but this wasn't the first time Kojima had done something like this. "Metal Gear Solid 3," for example, features the real-world Calorie Mate as a ration that heals Snake, even though the game takes place almost twenty years before the Calorie Mate even existed (per Otsuka Pharmaceuticals ). And just recently, Kojima revealed some information about a scrapped advertisement idea he had for one of his games, and it's turning heads.
Not everyone was onboard
On June 28th, Kojima tweeted about one of his scrapped ideas for "Boktai DS" AKA "Lunar Knights." For the uninitiated, "Boktai" was an action RPG series directed by Kojima that is most well known for employing a unique way to use Game Boy Advance's light sensor. Kojima wrote that during the development of "Boktai DS," "we set the upper screen of the Boktai DS version is a 'pseudo-sun.'" He added that he originally wanted the top screen of the DS to display corporate ads. Kojima stated that this would have potentially lowered the game's price, making it almost free to consumers.
However, anyone that has played "Boktai DS" will know that this idea never came to fruition. In his explanation, Kojima said, "there were not many supporters and there were many obstacles to overcome." Responses to Kojima's Tweet were mostly negative. Many gamers, such as @DocDrowsy, felt that putting real-world ads in a video game at that time would have been a bad idea. But someone could also make a case for the inclusion of the ads, as free games like "Fortnite" are now essentially playable ads with zero buy-ins (per Polygon). In that sense, Kojima was ahead of the curve. However, there is still a chance this idea will make its way into his mysterious upcoming Xbox game.