KEY POINTS

  • "Death Stranding" sold 5 million copies on PS4 and PC
  • A Director's Cut version of the game will be released soon
  • The new version will feature enhanced graphics and improved gameplay

Hideo Kojima’s “Death Stranding” has breached the 5 million sales mark, almost three years after it was first released on the PS4 and only one year after it debuted for the PC.

Kojima Productions’ head of publishing Jay Boor told GamesIndustry that the game performed “quite well.” “Death Stranding” is the studio’s first game release and the first project Kojima worked on after he parted with Konami.

Boor said that “Death Stranding’s” performance bodes well for the upcoming release of the Director’s Cut version, which will introduce many new features such as enhanced graphics, new gameplay mechanics and an expanded social strand feature. The Director’s Cut of “Death Stranding” also doubles as a next-gen re-release of the game for the PlayStation 5.

Japanese video game designer, writer, director and producer Hideo Kojima has created "Death Stranding" which centres on a mission to deliver packages and help rebuild a communications network in the United Cities of America
Japanese video game designer, writer, director and producer Hideo Kojima has created "Death Stranding" which centres on a mission to deliver packages and help rebuild a communications network in the United Cities of America AFP / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU

“Death Stranding” is an open-world, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi action game that focuses on exploration, travel and narrative storytelling. The game is experienced through the eyes of Sam Bridges, a courier who’s responsible for delivering cargo to the remaining cities of the U.S. As such, players are mainly concerned with bringing items from one area to another while fending off hostiles and traversing terrain.

The game has an element of mystery and horror, with monstrous entities called “beached things” or BTs serving as supernatural threats to Sam and the remaining humans. It also has a unique multiplayer/social aspect through the unique strand system that lets players interact with each other in a social-media-like environment.

The strand system lies at the heart of “Death Stranding” from both thematic and gameplay perspectives. Kojima mentioned in a past interview that it was designed to represent the shared experiences of gamers that bring them closer together without directly interacting with each other. This is reflected in-game by giving players the ability to see or use items left by other players in the world without making direct contact with them.

The game was praised by many players and critics for its unique take on the open-world adventure genre, professional-level acting, top-notch direction and profound concepts. However, others viewed it as unnecessarily complicated, bloated, boring and one-dimensional, likening it more to an interactive film than actual video game.

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