In a candid revelation, the renowned game director Hideo Kojima has opened up about his unfulfilled musical ambition for the critically acclaimed Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Released in 2010 for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), the game stands as a beloved entry in the iconic stealth action series, but Kojima harbors one significant regret – the inability to secure the rights to a specific song that would have perfectly encapsulated the game’s themes.
Spoiler Warning: The following details contain plot spoilers for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.
Near the climactic conclusion of Peace Walker, players witness a poignant moment as the AI weapon known as Peace Walker, under the control of the legendary soldier The Boss, commits a metaphorical suicide by drowning itself. In this emotional scene, The Boss sings the song “Sing” by Joe Raposo, originally composed for Sesame Street but later popularized by The Carpenters’ cover version.
If I have one regret about PW, it’s the part when the AI weapon modeled after The Boss's personality sings a song while committing suicide by drowning. At first, I had planned to use a certain famous song that perfectly fit the "peace" and "70's" theme of the game. We kept… https://t.co/Z1BMJUZj6q
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) April 29, 2024
However, according to Kojima’s recent tweet, this was not his initial choice for the game’s powerful finale. The director had originally envisioned a different song to accompany The Boss’s final moments, one that he felt would have perfectly encapsulated the themes of “peace” and the 1970s era in which the game is set. Regrettably, despite Kojima and Konami’s efforts, including visiting the family that owned the rights to the intended song, they were unable to secure the necessary permissions.
Forced to settle for an alternative, Kojima ultimately chose “Sing” as a substitute, acknowledging it as a “great song” but lamenting that it was not his first choice. The director’s tweet leaves fans speculating about the identity of the elusive track that could have elevated the already poignant finale to even greater heights.
In addition to this musical revelation, Kojima also shared insights into the game’s development process. Originally conceived as “Metal Gear Solid 5: Peace Walker,” the title was met with resistance from Konami’s marketing department, prompting a change to the simpler “Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.” Kojima further explained that the game’s target audience was strategically broadened to include younger players, aiming to attract both elementary, junior high, and high school students, as well as their parents, to the PSP platform.
14 years since the release of “PW.”I was still in my mid-40s. At the time, many game companies were beginning to shift to developing apps for the phones. After finishing up MGS4, I felt the need for a proprietary game engine. The vertical leap of the game had to be done after the… pic.twitter.com/vZ3fyCfmkd
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) April 29, 2024
While Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is widely regarded as a masterpiece within the series, Kojima’s candid admission highlights the artistic compromises that even legendary creators must sometimes make. As fans celebrate the game’s 14th anniversary, they can’t help but wonder what musical magic Kojima had originally envisioned for the unforgettable finale, and speculate on how it might have elevated an already iconic moment in gaming history.
