I can’t say that I was surprised to see Konami release an emotional 10 minute video both praising and thanking Hideo Kojima for his work on the Metal Gear Solid series. Considering their rough break-up, the removal of his name from Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain’s cover (a staple since the beginning), and the cancellation of his project with Guillermo Del Toro, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into by clicking the above video, which stated that it was a debriefing for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. While it started off as a positive look back at Kojima-san’s innovative work ethic, it was at the end, when he made a surprise visit, where I found myself in tears.
After meeting with fellow team members, voice actors, and prominent members of the industry who’ve been fans of the series since the beginning, Hideo makes a surprise visit to the home of a life-long fan of the franchise, Sean Paul Gillespie. According to the video, Sean sent an encouraging email to the developer of his favorite franchise, which Kojima then shared with the rest of the team explaining that during a very tough time during development, it “motivated everyone to complete the game.”
Unfortunately, however, the fan was terminally ill, and passed soon after receiving a special gift from the team. Kojima notes that when they announced the release date of MGS V, he swore to follow through, and not disappoint fans, stating:
“The players are everything, without them nothing I do would matter. My mission is to exceed their expectations. It’s all that matters to me. Their energy brought me to where I am today.”
The video is then taken out by a song titled “For Sean”, which Metal Gear Solid V’s composer Ludvig Forssell wrote in remembrance of the fan. The video itself was also dedicated to Sean’s memory, with a blurb reading, “A Metal Gear fan and honorary member of the team whose message, support and love for the series gave us strength during our toughest hour. His courage will forever be an inspiration to us all.”
We will simply end this post with a moment of silence for Sean Paul Gillespie.
