REALIZE,.. meeting Kojima Productions.
I wasn't expecting much in the context of celebrity encounters on my first day at the Expo. The floor
was bustling with activity and it was nearly impossible to navigate. To be quite honest, upon arrival it
took roughly an hour for me to find the correct registration table. However, before too long I had
recieved my attendee badge and made my way into the showroom.
The first task on my list was to find out where Konami had placed their booth, as seeing the new trailer
was my top priority. Though instead of arriving at Konami's booth, I instead found myself in Sony's.
Interestingly enough, both Konami and Sony were showing off the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer on huge high definition projection screens. The experience was truly awe inspiring, as I was able to see the detail much clearer and faster than what you would normally see in a downloaded video.
(Yeah, I'm looking at you Kojima Productions! Drop Windows Media and switch to Quicktime already!)
After gawking, it was time to find Konami's booth, and hopefully, a representative from Kojima Productions. E3 is a winding maze that spans the entirety of the Los Angeles Convention Center and even with the assistance of a map it can be hard to find your way. Konami's presentation area ended up being in the complete opposite side of the expo, and with the mass of people crowding the building, it took a good half hour before I finally found my way to their showroom floor. Instantly, I was greeted with another showing of the high definition MGS4 trailer though this time accompanied by the trailers for Digital Graphic Novel, Portable Ops, and Lunar Knights.
Though nobody recognizable from Kojima Productions could be seen on the floor, a quick look around to the opposite wall facing the projection screen revealed a series of rooms on the upper floor -- occupied by none other than Hideo Kojima. This didn't surprise me, as I seriously doubted he would spend much time on the showroom floor for fear of getting stormed by overzealous fans. No, If I wanted to meet the man behind the game, patience was key. The MGS4 trailer was planned to be shown on the Konami floor at the beginning of every hour. Naturally (or sadly), I was there for almost every one.
It wasn't until the next day that I made my first connection with Kojima Productions. As I was watching the trailer yet again, I took a quick glance around and had to double-take as I saw MGS4 Producer, Mr. Kenichiro Imaizumi. Approaching him, I introduced myself as a representative of TUS, and spoke with him for a short while about the new MGS4 trailer and logo. According to Mr. Imaizumi, the logo was designed by 'LOGAN', the same studio that concieved the iPod sillouhette commecials, and he had some genuine concerns about how fans were going to feel about the change. After a brief photo op, I continued on my way.
While I held an interest in many of the other presentations at the expo, my primary goals were to gain
information regarding the latest Kojima Productions products and to hopefully snag a meeting session
with Mr. Kojima himself. Though if I wanted to meet him, I'd have to take some initiative. So, without
too much hesitation, I made my way upstairs and waited outside of Konami's private conference room for the good part of an hour. With my copy of MSX Snatcher in hand, my hope was to gain his attention with humility and respect, rather than shove a random Metal Gear item into his hands and beg for an autograph. As I was beginning to consider a lunch break, I spotted somebody approaching from the corner of my eye.
It was none other than Ryan Payton, International Manager for Kojima Productions.
Quickly standing, I introduced myself and spoke with him for the good part of a half hour about the
latest projects on the showroom floor as well as possibly meeting Mr. Kojima. His suggestion was that
I should do exactly as I had been -- wait outside of the Konami office and politely ask for an autograph. In person, Ryan Payton is as charismatic as he is on the Kojima Productions Report, and possibly against my better judgement, I'll admit that I did my share of brown nosing. But hey, when you're standing among the people who are responsible for making the games you've been a fan of since childhood, it becomes difficult to maintain a stature of maturity.
All in all, he's a cool guy. Partially for putting up with me.
After returning to my post for an additional hour, and after attracting a herd of Metal Gear fans who
were also hoping for a chance to meet him, Mr. Kojima finally stepped out of the conference room.
Followed by who I assume were coworkers, he approached us and smiled. I stepped forward and requested an autograph for my copy of Snatcher, to which he responded with an air of casuality. Though I couldn't understand most of what he said, he seemed to be impressed upon seeing Snatcher as he exclaimed "Sugoi!" (Japanese for "awesome!" or "outstanding!"). After signing it, he agreed to a quick photo opportunity with me, after which I shook his hand and thanked him for the opportunity.
I'd like to say that this is where I was invited back into the Konami conference room to interview
Ryan Payton and playtest Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops in Mr. Kojima's office.
But I can't.
That didn't happen until the next day.
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