Josef Fares on visiting Kojima: "He's super cool... as humble as you see him in the interviews"

Hazelight's outspoken founder and director Josef Fares recently shared his admiration for Hideo Kojima after visiting the Japanese creator's studio in Tokyo. Speaking with Gamereactor during San Diego Comic-Con Malaga, the It Takes Two and Split Fiction director reflected warmly on the experience and praised Kojima's personality and work environment.

"Look, we had some really nice talks. He's super cool, and I really like him," Fares told us. "And he's very special in a good way. And he has a really cool office. I wish people could see how it is."

Fares went on to describe Kojima as a grounded and genuine person, despite his legendary status within the industry. "Kojima is like a real humble guy," Fares continued. "Like a real cool... He's as humble as you see him in the interviews, actually. He's really cool. And I really like him."

The two directors are known for their highly personal and unconventional approaches to game design, and fans have long speculated about the creative energy that might spark if the two were to ever collaborate. While Fares made no suggestion that such a partnership is in the works, his enthusiasm for Kojima was clear — and his visit to Kojima Productions left a strong impression.

"I think that he also has a very unique personality," Fares said. "And I love that about him. There's something crazy about him that I love."

Whether this encounter leads anywhere beyond mutual admiration remains to be seen, but it's clear that one of gaming's most expressive voices has found a kindred spirit in Hideo Kojima.

You can see our full interview with the iconic creator below, where we also discussed the Split Fiction movie.