Kojima used to watch the making of The Abyss to cheer himself up from development fatigue

With Death Stranding, Kojima is trying to do something truly new and unique. While he has a clear picture of what he wants to create, it can be tough explaining his vision to the members of his team. But according to the famous game director, creating something takes great determination. He compares the process to the making of 1989’s The Abyss, by James Cameron.

Basically I work all day except weekends & holidays. Go to gym twice a week, sometimes dinner meetings. See movie or read novel before sleep. Go movies, read novels, visit museums in weekends. Tweet & write when I find time. Listen to music in transit, game creation everyday. Whenever I felt worn out from game development, I used to cheer myself up by watching the making of The Abyss. James Cameron is a perfectionist who suffered greatly because not everyone understood his vision. Every morning he would be the first to dive into the water tank for shooting, and the last to leave. After that he would make preparations for the next day. That’s the kind of determination it takes to create something.

In an interview with Metal Gear Solid movie director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Kojima said that when he explained his ideas for the game to his team, no one got it at first, and he had to keep explaining it every day. When they started to move forward with different experiments, they began to understand and see the bigger picture. And certainly, judging from the comments of some of the few people who have played the game, it is going to be something special.

Source: Hideo Kojima Twitter