10 Video Game Developer In-Jokes You Totally Missed

8. Hideo Kojima Being IN His Games - Metal Gear Series (1987-)

Red Dead Redemption 2 donkey lady
Kojima Productions

Ah, Hideo Kojima. A video game made by the most unsubtle man on Earth (second only to the aforementioned David Cage) wouldn't be complete without us getting a good unapologetic cameo of his fully computerised self at some point.

Far from a one-off gag, Kojima's character, Hideo, appears in not one, but three games in Konami's Metal Gear series: Peace Walker, Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain. In the latter two, he also provides the voice of "himself".

To those who don't keep up with video game news and just like to play the games, Hideo may just be another run-of-the-mill NPC that gives Snake a reason to get off his behind and do something.

Kojima is one of the modern gaming industry's most recognisable faces, but to the average player, these cameos may well have gone completely unnoticed.

So, be it a sneaky stocking-stuffer for the more observant gamer, or a shameless act of pure self-indulgence, Hideo Kojima's presence within the Metal Gear franchise is something you'll never be able to un-see once you know.

Contributor

Graduate composer, on-and-off session musician, aspiring novelist, professional nerd. Where procrastination and cynicism intertwine, Lee Clarke can be found.