Hideo Kojima, the acclaimed Japanese game designer, has shed some light on the factors that influence how he casts roles for his video games.

Released this week for PS5, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach features a cast dominated by Western actors such as Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux, and Elle Fanning. Shioli Kutsuna, who plays Rainy, is the only Japanese star in a leading role.

dsallstar2_wallpaper_forpreview.jpg

This has raised questions about the relatively limited presence of Asian performers in Kojima's games. According to him, the main reason is that the studio does its recordings in Los Angeles, where it’s difficult to find Japanese actors with native-level English skills.

Another factor, he explained, is that recreating the facial features of Asian actors can sometimes appear unnatural when rendered in-game.

Galería

Kojima Says Asians Are 'Too Beautiful' to Accurately Portray In Games

Speaking with IGN Japan, Kojima elaborated:

"It’s difficult to make Asians look like their real-life counterparts. 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 said.


"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." 

Despite these challenges, Kojima said he wants to keep working alongside Japanese actors and hasn't ruled out setting one of his future games in Japan.