Silent Hill’s series producer has responded to Hideo Kojima’s comments about AI, stating that Silent Hill f has ‘the kind of bold choices AI would never be able to make’.
The impact of generative AI on the games industry has been a recurring talking point in recent months, with companies like Microsoft leaning fully into it, but so far demonstrating little of substance. The topic hit the headlines again recently, with comments from Metal Gear and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima.
In an interview with Rolling Stone Brazil, Kojima discussed how the entertainment industry at large, including gaming, often relies on remakes and sequels – and how that’s ‘dangerous’ if it isn’t balanced with original ideas.
‘Since they’re already well-known works, it’s easier to produce them and attract investment,’ Kojima said. ‘From a business perspective, there’s nothing wrong with that. But if the industry only does that, it’s dangerous. We need to keep creating new things.’
This already seemed hypocritical, given how much of his gameography is dedicated to Metal Gear, and how his most recent title was a sequel, but it’s Kojima’s subsequent comment which sparked a wave of discussion online: ‘I think in the future, remakes and sequels will be done by AI.’
The comment has been widely shared in posts on X, and one person who jumped into the conversation is Silent Hill producer Motoi Okamoto.
In response, Okamoto pointed to Silent Hill f as an example of a game which couldn’t be made by AI, because it makes too many ‘bold choices’.
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‘In that sense, it would be quite difficult for AI to replace works that take a significant departure from the original path of the series, like Silent Hill f,’ Okamoto wrote on X (as translated by Automaton).
‘AI may be able to put together a project for a sequel that takes place in the Silent Hill universe, but things like changing the story’s setting to Japan or getting Ryukishi07 on board as a writer are the kind of bold choices AI would never be able to make.’
Okamoto’s comments were in response to a post by Japanese author Hase Satoshi, who had his own thoughts on Kojima’s comments. ‘It’s best to think of Kojima’s statement as a natural extension of the fact that he’s a creator who’s been fighting all his life to create new things while facing the latest technologies.
‘I believe he is telling us that making sequels may earn us money, but they can be easily replaced by AI – so we could keep trying to make new things instead.’
Again, that seems a very odd way to characterise Kojima’s output, especially as his next two games appear to be continuations of Metal Gear Solid and his cancelled plans for Silent Hills, just without the official licences.
While there’s an argument that minor remasters and remakes could be done by AI in the future, applying it to all sequels does feel like a stretch – with cases like Silent Hill f and Pokémon Legends: Z-A going beyond the predictable sequel template.
Kojima also discussed his views on generative AI in a separate interview with Wired Japan recently, where he described it as a collaborative ‘friend’ rather than a foe.
‘A lot of people use AI in creative work to come up with ideas,’ Kojima said. ‘But I think of AI as more of a friend. Since I’ve been in the digital industry, I would lead the creative part, and use AI to boost efficiency. I’d like AI to handle the tedious tasks. That would lower cost and cut down on time. It’s more like co-creating with AI instead of just using it.
‘I see a future where I stay one step ahead; creating together with AI.’
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