After memory limitation issues prompted him to take a break during the development of "Snatcher", Kojima began to explore concepts for "Policenauts." He wanted the game to remain in the adventure genre, feeling it was the best method to express what he wanted with video games. He was also growing frustrated with game development and wanted "a way to take creative control back from the programmers". After the release of "" (1990), he developed a scripting engine so he could decide when animations and music played instead of the programmers. Development on "Policenauts," originally called "Beyond", began in 1990, and lasted four years.