Hideo Kojima explains why few Japanese actors appear in his games

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

IGN Japan asked Kojima why he chose to cast Kutsuna in the role, and why he puts few Japanese actors into his games, despite Kojima Productions being based in Tokyo.

"We record with other actors in a studio in Los Angeles, so it's a bit of a problem if they don't have native-level English skills," he said. "I searched for someone who could speak Japanese and also native-level English, but it was difficult. Kutsuna grew up in Australia, can speak English, and when I met her, I found her to be a nice person, so we decided to work together."

Kojima went on to say he would like to cast more young Japanese actors in his games, but claimed there were technical challenges involved in scanning them into his games, compared to older or Western actors.

"It's difficult to make Asians look like their real-life counterparts," he said. "Women and young people in particular have such beautiful, smooth skin. Asians, and not just Japanese people, are known for their beautiful, smooth skin, so it ends up looking like CG."

He continued: "On the other hand, it's easier to bring out the details in older people or people with lots of freckles. I've tried to use Japanese people in the past, but it's hard to make them look like their real-life counterparts. However, this time I used new technology, and I'm quite satisfied with the results. Well, I'd like to do even better next time."

Kojima said he would like to continue working with Japanese actors, and even suggested he could set a game in Japan one day. To date, the vast majority of Kojima's games have been set outside of his home country.
 
Death Stranding 2 probably has the best looking characters I've seen in a videogame.

Epic may have made a few mistakes with Unreal Engine this generation, but Metahuman isn't one of them

My mind boggles at how good Physint is going to look.

 
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Considering the Japanese actor he had in the first game... yeah...
17EE3DAF-4FFC-42CF-AEE7-28204D8E7CEA.jpeg
 
Death Stranding 2 probably has the best looking characters I've seen in a videogame.

Epic may have made a few mistakes with Unreal Engine this generation, but Metahuman isn't one of them

My mind boggles at how good Physint is going to look.


Silent hill f too
 
Death Stranding 2 probably has the best looking characters I've seen in a videogame.

Epic may have made a few mistakes with Unreal Engine this generation, but Metahuman isn't one of them

My mind boggles at how good Physint is going to look.


Death Stranding 2 was made with Decima Engine not Unreal 5.
 
This is being received very differently on other(TM) forums.

It's like that camera sensor that picks up people very differently - it's got nothing to do with the person, just with what it is ought to do.
 
Not convinced. What about him? Can he speak English? He always has a translator with him.

I have the feeling that he understands English perfectly, but is embarrassed to publicly talk in English due to his accent. that's apparently pretty common with at least older japanese people.
 
I personally MUCH rather if it had original character design rather than Hollywood celebrities. To most people it's none issue but for me it takes me out of the experience, I hate it.
 
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I lived in Japan for half of my adult life and I rarely met anyone who spoke fluent english, so I'm not surprised.

I am native level Japanese after that long, though. It's extremely difficult to learn English as a Japanese speaker (or so I was told many times by Japanese friends)
 
I am native level Japanese after that long, though. It's extremely difficult to learn English as a Japanese speaker (or so I was told many times by Japanese friends)
It must be, since even Japanese gaming executives struggle with it. Case in point:



I've been trying to decipher for two decades what the hell Ken Kutaragi is saying here: "I can emerge the next wareshh. I can feel a breeze"?
 
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