In an interview published by the Japanese magazine, Dengeki: PlayStation, Hideo Kojima explained why he took the role of game designer on Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, despite his previous claims that he would play a smaller role in the development of Metal Gear games after Metal Gear Solid 4.

“At first, I was just going to create the overall guidelines and concepts for the project, and leave it in the hands my excellent staff. I was going to have a hand in the project as a producer, and make titles other than MGS. But, I set the game in the South American(sic) country of Costa Rica and created a story with themes about nuclear deterrence and the cold war. It looked as if it might be very confusing to young people, because of generational differences. So, in the end I finally said, “I’ll do it.”

The only time Kojima directly referenced the gameplay of MGS: Peace Walker during the interview was when discussing the trailer shown at Sony’s press conference. When pressed about the cardboard box with two Snakes in it, Kojima said, “what we showed is called ‘The Love Box’.”

When discussing Metal Gear Solid: Rising Kojima said that it would not be a traditional Metal Gear game. “It’s a completely different kind of action than what has appeared in the series so far.” He also said, “I’ll be working more deeply on the project then a normal producer.”