Konami Blocked Kojima's Planned Matrix Game

In late 1999 the Wachowskis, accompanied by concept artist Geoff Darrow, met Hideo Kojima at Konami’s Tokyo headquarters and asked him to develop a game based on The Matrix, a proposal Kojima reportedly welcomed. According to former Konami licensing VP Christopher Bergstresser and Kojima’s development diary, Konami executive Kazumi (also spelled Kasumi) Kitaue rejected the pitch to keep Kojima focused on Metal Gear Solid 2, leaving Kojima and his team disappointed. With Kojima blocked, the Wachowskis partnered with Shiny Entertainment, which produced Enter the Matrix and The Path of Neo; those titles sold well commercially but received mixed critical responses. A recent Time Extension interview with Bergstresser revived the long‑rumored story and provided firsthand detail. However, an anonymous Konami employee has disputed parts of the account, adding some uncertainty to the narrative. Fans have since speculated how a Kojima-made Matrix game might have altered the franchise’s gaming legacy and elements of Kojima’s later work.