Death Stranding isn’t even out yet, and Hideo Kojima is out there talking about sequels.
“The most difficult part is, when you create something new, you have to create a sequel and then a third version or it [will] not remain as a genre,” says Kojima in an interview with Gamespot. “When this game comes out there will be a lot of pros and cons, and [these elements could become the essence of the core part], but I think it’s better that I keep it going in a sequel.”
Kojima states that he’s “not really sure” whether Death Stranding will become a series, but that seems to be based more on whether or not the financial opportunity to make it a series is there. He certainly personally seems interested in the idea. He even mentions the possibility of a “1.5 and then 2” but notes that “There are a lot of other projects that come up like TV dramas and things like that. A lot of pitches come my way.”
Let’s break this down a bit. First off, we’re still not entirely sure what it is about Death Stranding that will be so innovative that it will create a new genre, and we’re honestly not sure that Kojima knows either at this point. Much of what we’ve seen of the game suggests that it will be an open-world survival game with stealth and horror elements. While Kojima will almost certainly lend some of his trademark personality to the project, the promise of a new genre may be a bit of a stretch.
Advertisement
The idea that Kojima may pivot to TV or something similar following the release of Death Stranding is at least as interesting as the idea of a Death Stranding franchise. Kojima has always seemed to be interested in the worlds of television and film, but he’s never really crossed that line. Could he go so far as to leave games behind for a while?
In any case, Death Stranding is still set to be one of the most talked-about games of 2019, and with its recently confirmed “Very Easy” mode, you’ll be able to work through it and see if for yourself relatively quickly.
Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.