Hideo Kojima's games have been reappreciated for years, but now the auteur wants to create games that will be remembered by space aliens in the future.

Remember when everyone thought Raiden stupid and dorky, but ten years later everyone agreed that MGS2 is a postmodern masterpiece. Now we know what that "Kojima Cycle's" endgame might look like. Future space aliens agreeing to give Death Stranding a second chance.

Kojima's reflection on the possible afterlife of an artwork comes from a Q&A with fans organized by Anan News, via GamesRadar. Kojima responded to a question regarding the mindset that a successful game designer needs to have by saying that it is "to make something you're happy with." Or, you cannot create something you are not happy with.

"For starters the way that art is valued changes over time. As paintings are appraised in 100 or 200 year after the artist's passing, so too games and films remain as objects that can be passed on to future generations. If I create something I am proud of, aliens might come centuries later and say that it is awesome. "That's what it means if you want to leave something behind."

Kojima is right. You can't make great art if it's not something you believe in. Kojima’s work has the ability to age and mature like fine wine. People will say, “Oh, that’s just goofy, and ill-considered” at launch, but then decide years later that a particular Kojima work was a prescient sci-fi work. MGS2 is a great example, but I still believe it's time MGS5 was recognized as one of Kojima's best and most thought-provoking stories. Quiet's outfit, though, is still very embarrassing to look at. I am not ashamed of my words or deeds.

Kojima may have overlooked the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and videogame publishers' stance on game preservation when predicting that future aliens would be able to play these games. It could have an impact on quarterly profit forecasts if the Grebulons of Altair IV are able to access this body of work.