Valve CEO Gabe Newell once reached out to Elon Musk to arrange a private SpaceX tour for legendary game designer Hideo Kojima after the Metal Gear creator expressed a fervent desire to travel to space. These details emerged through email correspondence recently filed in the ongoing Musk v. Altman legal proceedings.
The Origins of the SpaceX Connection
The emails, filed as part of the “amended joint exhibit list” on April 24, date back to October 2018. Following a visit from Kojima to Valve’s headquarters—where the designer discussed his work on the original Death Stranding—Newell contacted Musk to bridge the gap between the two icons. Describing Kojima as a “real visionary in our field,” Newell noted that their conversation had drifted toward the importance of AI and Kojima’s personal fascination with space exploration.
“The second thing is he was talking about how much he wants to go into space, and I offered to introduce him to you,” Newell wrote to Musk. “He’d love to get a SpaceX tour.”
Musk’s Response and the Lingering Dream
Musk responded to the request with clear enthusiasm, telling the Valve boss: “Sure, it would be great to meet Hideo Kojima and he’s welcome to see the rocket factory. Send him my email.”
Despite the high-level connection, the trip did not immediately materialize. In a 2020 interview with Geoff Keighley, Kojima reflected on the offer with a hint of disappointment, noting that while Newell had proactively reached out to Musk, the pair had not yet managed to coordinate the visit. Kojima’s interest in the cosmos has only intensified since then; in 2023, he publicly pleaded for a chance to go to space, expressing his ambition to be the first person to develop a video game while in orbit.
Kojima’s Vision for AI and Space
The 2018 emails also highlighted Kojima’s early interest in artificial intelligence. While he has consistently argued that AI should handle tedious tasks to reduce development costs and time, he remains firm that the “creative part” must remain in human hands. He has frequently warned against the dangers of humanity becoming too reliant on technology, a theme that often permeates his complex narrative works.
While a physical journey to the stars remains a goal for the developer, he has already found a way to bridge the gap. In Death Stranding 2, an image of Kojima appears in the night sky, placing him among the stars in at least one digital form. Whether he and Newell will eventually make the trip to the moon together remains a mystery for the future.
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