"You're leaving the world you know, and entering somewhere completely different." Those were the words spoken to us as we entered Kojima Productions’ brand-new and incredibly-impressive studio space in the Shinagawa ward of Tokyo. Mere blocks away from Sony’s Japan Studio, Kojima Productions is one of the strangest-but-fitting studios I’ve ever visited, and taking a tour of the space and speaking with the team has me even more excited for Death Stranding

The video at the top of this page shows a full tour of the new Kojima Productions studio, so be sure to check it out.

The office starts normal enough, with a small room that houses a spartan trophy case, including a pair of E3 2016 IGN awards. But upon tapping your employee ID badge on a futuristic-looking podium, a wall opened up, revealing a sight that I’ve never seen before in the dozens of games studios I’ve visited. As Hideo Kojima himself told us, “I want to make something no one has ever seen before, to take them to a place they have never been, to teach them something new.”

Kojima Productions Studio Tour 14 IMAGES

Swipe through the gallery above to take a look at the new Kojima Productions studio.

Like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the entryway to the Kojima Productions office is a long, impossibly-bright hallway. Illuminated on both walls, the floor, and the ceiling, it feels like walking through a decontamination chamber. Kojima remarked that he wanted this hall to act as a space where you can leave behind the noise and distractions of the city, and fully immerse yourself in the projects ahead. The only object in the hallway is a 5 foot tall statue of Ludens, the cosmonaut featured on the Kojima Productions logo. Walking down the hall and passing the statue on our way into the proper studio almost felt like walking through a mission statement.

The production space itself is definitely inspired by many of the western studios that Kojima visited on his tour last year, including Media Molecule and Sony Santa Monica. Outside of a 3D Scan room and a sound booth, a majority of the studio is housed in one single, open room. With space for about 100 employees (Kojima himself insists that he wants to maintain an independent vibe), the space promotes open communication. He wants to remove any concept of a middleman.

There are only three personal offices inside of the studio space, with Kojima himself occupying one of them. That said, they all have glass walls, which further enforces that idea of open communication and a complete lack of secrets. As for his office itself, stepping inside of it felt like existing inside of an inspirational collage. His desk was adorned with various coffee table books on movies like Taxi Driver and the aforementioned 2001: A Space Odyssey. Various toys, like a TIE Fighter and a LEGO set of Horizon: Zero Dawn sat on his shelves. And the soundtrack to La La Land, a film which Kojima has tweeted about loving non-stop since its release, sat squarely on his desk.

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Check out the above video where we talk to Hideo Kojima and others about the tech powering Death Stranding.

As for Kojima himself, he said that starting the studio a year ago was like building and launching a spaceship. He needed a crew that he knew and trusted to get them into orbit. Now that they're out in space, he wants people who can help take him to uncharted planets. They’re bringing in folks from the games industry who come from outside of Japan, as well as people who come from completely different mediums like film and sculpture. None of that comes as a surprise, considering the assortment of objects that adorned his office, and it further enforces Kojima’s commitment to continue pushing the medium that he’s helped craft over the past 30 years. As far as what happens after Death Stranding, the team doesn’t have any concrete plans, but is definitely open to the thought of branching out to new mediums.

Speaking further with Kojima, he doesn't come across as jaded. He doesn't come across as a man who holds a grudge, but rather a person who got out of a long-term relationship. The breakup might've been messy, especially given the public nature of it, but Kojima is a creator who understands that every step of his journey, no matter how perilous and wrought with obstructions, was crucial to get him to where he is today. In his own words, “Everything I experienced over 53 years; movies I’ve seen, books I’ve read, music I’ve listened to, games I’ve played, people I’ve met and the 30 years spent in this industry, have formed who I am. Not one of these things has been without purpose, including my experience creating games at Konami.”

Marty Sliva is a Senior Editor at IGN. A girl he was dating once stepped on his PlayStation 4, and now he no longer owns PT. But don't worry, they broke up. Follow him on Twitter @McBiggitty