Court documents filed April 24 in the Musk v. Altman lawsuit reveal that Valve founder Gabe Newell emailed Elon Musk in October 2018 asking if game designer Hideo Kojima could tour SpaceX's rocket factory. The email became public as part of exhibit evidence in the ongoing trial in Oakland, California, where Musk is suing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the company's shift from nonprofit to for-profit.
In the email, Newell wrote that Kojima had just visited Valve headquarters. "Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear series, a real visionary in our field) was here at Valve talking about his new game, and he mentioned the importance he places on future work in AI," Newell told Musk. "The second thing is he was talking about how much he wants to go into space, and I offered to introduce him to you. He'd love to get a SpaceX tour."
Musk responded positively. "Sure, it would be great to meet Hideo Kojima and he's welcome to see the rocket factory," Musk wrote back. "No problem to send him my email." Despite the positive response, there's no public record confirming Kojima ever received the tour.
Damilare Odedina
Why the Email Was Released in the Lawsuit
The October 2018 email appears in court exhibits because Newell also discussed introducing Kojima to OpenAI, and Musk's response included statements about the AI company that lawyers are referencing in the trial.
Court documents show Newell donated $20,008,279 to OpenAI in 2018, making it the second-largest donation the company received from anyone other than Musk during the 2016-2020 period.
An email from Shivon Zilis to Musk mentions that OpenAI founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman asked if she would join their informal advisory board with just Gabe Newell so far. The emails became relevant because they show Musk's early involvement with OpenAI and his relationship with other major tech figures who supported the company before it became widely known.
Kojima's Obsession With Space Travel
Kojima's passion for space is documented throughout his work and writing. In his book The Creative Gene, Kojima wrote about his singular wish: "I would give up anything to make that wish come true: my current place as a game designer, which I've built up for forty-five years; I'm even prepared to throw away my family or my own life."
He explained he would be satisfied with only a brief orbit beyond Earth's atmosphere and doesn't need to travel to the moon or Mars.
By 2020, Kojima told interviewer Geoff Keighley the SpaceX visit still hadn't happened. He mentioned that Newell had promised to take him to visit SpaceX because they both share a fascination with space. When Musk saw the interview, he replied on Twitter saying Kojima was welcome anytime.
The tour request happened around the same time Kojima was developing Death Stranding, his first major game after leaving Konami. No follow-up emails or public statements from any of the three have confirmed whether the SpaceX tour eventually happened.
Damilare Odedina
