The creator behind the Metal Gear series is once again teaming up with filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn and fashion house Prada. And while his works have crossed over with weird real-life products from Calorie Mate snack bar to Monster energy drink, his latest collaboration might sting longtime followers. Because, this time, Hideo Kojima is making a short film powered by generative AI.
Prada recently previewed Satellites II, its next Prada Mode event in New York, which will take place at the Chelsea Hotel from June 3 to 7. The project continues both Kojima and Refn’s Satellites exhibition in Tokyo in 2025. Ahead of the event, Prada unveiled a six-minute teaser film during the 79th Cannes Film Festival, with a one-minute version shared on social media as seen below.
The short stars Refn and Kojima themselves traveling through space and eventually making their way to the Chelsea Hotel. In a statement to Women’s Wear Daily, Refn described the project as ‘an artistic experiment and a playful exploration’ of new technology.
Throughout our extended friendship, Hideo Kojima and I have shared the feeling that we were somehow split from the same consciousness moving through different lives while orbiting the same obsessions. That idea became the spark for a film: a space odyssey following us as we traverse a sci-fi dreamscape. Created in collaboration with Prada, the project is both an artistic experiment and a playful exploration of new creative possibilities through AI technology.
However, the response on social media has been mixed, as many in the gaming community and Hideo Kojima fans have been pushing back against generative AI-made products.
X user @An_Emptybag wrote, “Beyond incredibly disappointing to witness whatever this is tied to creatives like this. This is not the way.” @Nct17Ralph criticized the collaboration harshly, “This looks like $#17 from a 8#75. wtf they do to convince you to be involved in this garbage.” Meanwhile, another user @macien_ simply pleaded, “Please dont make another AI slop, its sad to watch 😪”
Satellites II‘s New York event will initially run as an invitation-only event on June 3 and 4. It will feature installations, performances, talks, concerts, and screenings of the Hideo Kojima AI film throughout the Chelsea Hotel. Several of the hotel rooms will reportedly also be transformed into television studios and exhibition spaces. Public showcases are planned after that for June 5 to 7 in undisclosed locations.
Hideo Kojima has never exactly been shy about utilizing strange ideas or new technology, as Death Stranding clearly proved. Still, seeing one of gaming’s most celebrated auteurs praised for his attention to cinematic detail embrace generative AI feels oddly ironic. Especially for someone who once warned us about the dangers of artificial intelligence and an algorithm-driven world.
