Sony Should Not Bank On Kojima and Death Stranding

Another year past at E3 and we see a little more Death Stranding and despite the game graphically looking great I don't think Death Stranding will be the game everyone thinks it will be. Yes it has a fantastic lineup of voice actors in Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, and Lindsay Wagner with an appearance from Guillermo del Toro but is that really going to save this game?

[CaptainOmega]

I just think Kojima needs to show more and explain more for people to gain more interest. Right now we still have a very limited understanding of what the game is and how it plays. It doesn’t help that we first saw this in 2016.

[Kribwalker]

I agree. because what was shown so far doesn’t look appealing aside from the graphics. It just seems weird for the sake of being weird. I’d like to know more on what the game entails.

[JROCKNXL]

I am glad I am not the only one that thinks this lol. Its just a weird game that makes no sense and like WTF lol.

[Eonjay]

Thanks for the concern but I think Kojima knows what he is doing by now. I have seen the same trailers as you and I can already tell you what the game is about. It is about a future where something happens and death basically comes to life. You play Sam a transporter of dead bodies to a certain location because the shadow creatures literally come from death. While on his job he encounters the one of the shadows manifests itself as he dead wife. Sure I want to see more but its not like we have nothing.

[oasdada]

But lucky for u dont have to worry much because its not coming on ur choice of console regardless

[Goldby]

@Jrock

"Ok yes Metal Gear is one of the greatest franchises in the gaming but he didn’t do this all on his own. Look at the team he had behind him working with Konami. Do I think Kojima sucks NO I don’t, but what I really think is that he very overrated and people need to stop praising him like he is some god to the gaming world."

You do realise he took alot of the top programmers from konami when he left right, one of the head programmers for the fox engine is now working for Kojima and is helping with coding the decima engine.

100 hours of cutscenes and3.5 hour sof gameplay screams fanboy beyond belief.

try to be a bit more professional next time

[UCForce]

@JROCKNXL Really ? The thing is that Kojima has a partner with GG. Death Stranding is using Decima aka HZD Engine. If Sony stopped funding Kojima, GG have to pulled their Engine out and Kojima have to start from scratch again. So I do think Sony will keep supporting Kojima and his team. Kojima and his team left Konami for treating them like expandable.

[morganfell]

Vaunted developer like Kojima > a fox looking at the grapes.

These people should focus on ordering Rare around. Kojima doesn't need their advice.

My hope is they are banking on him for several more projects.

@Goldby,

Some people do not realize a SR71 is useless without the right pilot. And any dev team is just a mass of people without the right director and creative visionary.

[RememberThe357]

Well Kojima has a better track record with games than any of you have with forming opinions so I think I'll stick with Kojima on this one.

[UnHoly_One]

@Eonjay, I don't buy that for a second.

1) That sounds like a terrible concept

2) None of that explains why he has a live baby suspended in a fluid in a fanny pack that he wears.

Kojima is insane and his games are nonsense. You're welcome to like whatever you want, but don't pretend that the trailers we've seen so far make any kind of sense at all...

[joab777]

@Eonjay what is the baby? Is this like an Ellie from Last of Us? A savior of sorts? Or is it a rebirth of sorts?

[Eonjay]

@UnHoly_One

No one would every give you everything. Of course it will be revealed. If knowing everything is your standard then how do you make it through the day without being pissed at every developer ever. This story is in not even close in complexity to something like Kingdom Hearts so the outrage is fake.

[UnHoly_One]

I don't expect him to give us every bit of info.

It doesn't matter what he gives us, his games have been nonsense as long as I've known his name. Metal Gear Solid had the most ludicrous and terrible story I've ever seen in a game series.

It shocks me that people that are excited for this game.

But again, like whatever you want, I hope you enjoy it. I just personally will never understand.

[morganfell]

@Eonjay,

Some people are incapable of understanding intrigue as part of a reveal. They do not like surprises or trying to figure things out. Kojima has always been the master of showing you something and then when you pull back out what you think you saw becomes something else. And that is part of the fun with his games before they are released. Then again you have to enjoy challenging your imagination. I am sure these same people think that taking knee boob photos should be a prosecutable offense.

[Sevir]

That's the point of the showing... He didn't want the first gameplay to be guns and combat, it more was trying to answer questions about the crater, the creatures and time fall. It's setting up exposition about who Sam is in this world.

Kojima has been creating action games for over 30 years, if people really think a man with a pedigree as him will spend 2 years creating a walking similator on a 75 million dollar budget with free reign from Sony, then you're all pretty damn delusional...

This trailer as is everything surrounding this game, intentionally enigmatic and mysterious.

I look forward to seeing more and learning more about it.

And for the record, Sony isn't banking on it, they've banked on the strength of their First Party, See Dreams, See Detroit, See God of War, see GT Sport, See The Last of Us 2, See Ghost of Tsushima, See Spider-Man, See Days Gone... Death Stranding is a nice compliment to Sony's diverse portfolio and how creativity flourishes on their platform.

[jznrpg]

It’s obvious he doesn’t want to give the story away so there will always be people who say he is being weird just to be weird. People want to see the game and he shows as little as possible to not giveaway what is actually going on in ththe story. I don’t see anything wrong with it . The game is t coming out for sometime and I am sure there will be some more details before release . I’d rather know nothing because I know Kojima makes good games, he has for decades, why worry unless you aren’t a fan or not really getting the game? A lot of Xbox fans pretending to be PS fans are so concerned for games they aren’t going to play. Not sure if your one of them but they have came out of the woodwork after E3 like every year

[P_Bomb]

@unholy
Wow. That’s a lot of adjectives. But you said it yourself. People like what they like. Understanding is moot.

A cursory glance at your 228268 gamer score for example reveals a plethora of games I personally wouldnt 100%, like Dash of Destruction and Open Season. But no one’s calling such pursuits insane, nonsense, ludicrous, terrible, or inferring shock.

All I know is if I had 12 Assassin’s Creed games under my belt and put up with 10 years of Abstergo and Minerva/Juno’s magic apple exploding sun conspiracies, I’d be more self aware of what decompressed stories that go nowhere I myself might be invested in. Sometimes the journey’s better than the destination.

[bujasem_89]

@unholyone This quote is very applicable to your thought process. "Some people can read War and Peace and come away thinking it's a simple adventure story..., others can read the ingredients on a chewing gum wrapper and unlock the secrets of the universe."
Not all of you have to get it. All that matters to kojima is that some do, and that's exactly what I love about all of his games.

[bouzebbal]

Tbh that trailer wasn't impressive by any mean.
I dont care about the voice actors, i just want to see some gameplay cause that's why i buy games for.
We'll see when some real gameplay lands someday, but so far this isn't a game I'm excited about anymore.

[morganfell]

@bujasem,

Protagonists have their moments and that first Chris Reeve movie still shines in many ways.

[morganfell]

Ha ha Antagonists, not Protagonists...

[rainslacker]

I'm pretty sure Sony isn't going to sink tens of millions of dollars that this project is likely costing them if they didn't have faith that it would be interesting. Kojjma is capable of delivering, and it's not like this is some kickstarter project, but one with major support from some of medias top producers.

Being weird is a kojjma trademark, and it's how it all comes together that matters. I'm sure we will know more as time goes on, and the game looks appealing enough for the time being.

[CaptainOmega]

Interesting @ the disagrees. Tell me why i’m wrong.

[AspiringProGenji]

Because this is how Kojima does and presents his stuff and the fans and the people who played his games are used to. I disagree that he has to explain anything to gain interest. If anything that leads to spoilers and less shock value when playing the game. Also it may be too early to fully explain anything assuming the game is still far off. Making the fans speculate and form theories can be marketing tools for the game too

One of The soul games’s charms is that it doesn’t explain its story in a straightforward manner, and that makes the series more interesting and open to numerous interpretation from the fans. Death Stranding being “weird” and mysterious actually makes more interesting for me. It is much better than “oh that’s what the game is about. Ok! I’ll just wait here.”

[CaptainOmega]

Aspiring...
The game is about reconnecting the world
There is a man named Sam Porter Bridges (he works for a delievery company).
The rain is called ‘timefall’ and it speeds up time..
When Sam dies... a crater is left in his place and he’s reborn somehow.

We still don’t know exactly what the game is about or what’s the point in all of it.

Gameplay wise.. All we were shown is walking around with cargo, and sneaking around the mysterious creatures. I’m still intrigued to play this.. but for the average customer there needs to be a little bit more explanation and gameplay.

I played Rime... It’s essentially walking around/platforming, and solving puzzles. I liked the game as an idie... Idk if I would like a similar game on a AAA budget that i’m paying $60 for, just to get big named actors/actresses in it.

[Critic4l_Strik3]

dont bother. Here you get disagrees for no reason. Watch

[Pekka]

I have played couple of Kojima games and I think he is most overrated game maker ever. For example MGS4 is a horrible game and plot is just laughable. Plot may seem complicated but even 5-year-old could make much better plot. If MGS4 would have been a movie, it would have been called as one of the worst movies ever.

His games seem to be complicated but those are just randomly generated junk. Plot seem complicated but it is just because plot makes no sense.

[jaycptza]

because tonnes of people are interested, because it's your opinion and people are allowed to disagree. Everyone knows this is Kojima's style, besides you apparently.

[Lighter9]

@Genji

So, you have no idea what this game is about, the story, those babies.. You have next to nothing to go on, and it's already a good game to you?

[MWH]

My friend you are not wrong. Don't mind the disagrees it's just that the air around here is filled with, fanboyism toxins.

[AspiringProGenji]

When did I said it was a good game already? @Lighter

''The game is about reconnecting the world
There is a man named Sam Porter Bridges (he works for a delievery company).
The rain is called ‘timefall’ and it speeds up time..
When Sam dies... a crater is left in his place and he’s reborn somehow.''

That's be enough for now. You can always theorize or put stuff together. if you are too lazy to do that then don't be demanding Kojima to tell you more or everything. it may be too early for that

''but for the average customer there needs to be a little bit more explanation and gameplay. ''

What's this average customer you speak of? If you are a Kojima fan you should have an idea of the kind of games he makes and how will this game will play more or less.

[CaptainOmega]

@Genji...

With MGS I know we’d get action.. this game Kojima has said he doesn’t really want to you use any combat (you can, but he wouldn’t recommend it).

That leaves me to believe there will be little in terms of combat. Perhaps there will be action, but it will be put into a cutscene rather than gameplay.

What you’re saying is if you’re not a Kojima fan... as of right now, you won’t have an idea of how this game will play. As a kojima fan, I don’t even know how it will play it besides walking around with Cargo. E3 was supposed to be a ‘deep dive’ into these games and we barely got anything out of it for Death Stranding.

[michellelynn0976]

Because you dare speak ill of a Sony exclusive. That is a death sentence on here. The cultist will gang up on you. You are just being honest and not a blind fan.

[UCForce]

@michellelynn0976 Well, you are no different really. I saw your defense on Nintendo and you are just like Vasto who always defending MS. I can see the similarities between you and Vasto. You and Vasto are no different than me. You and him always defending your “precious” company. Me ? I don’t need to say it twice about myself. Funny is that people said N4G is run by pony and say how toxic they are. But sooner or later, Xbots and Ninty Fanboy will take over N4G and i want to know how toxic will be to Xbots and Ninty fanboys when they take over N4G. You see that N4G is not a Sony place. I said this many times and I will say it again. N4G is a conquest zone for every fanboys want to take over. Last generation N4G ran by Xbots and Wii fanboys. In 2013, N4G was taken over by pony. But now, I can see this happening again.

[RememberThe357]

Hey I'm hella smart so I'm gonna say something I know people won't agree with then call out how I'll get disagrees. Hella smart cuh

[zodiac909]

@Pekka Maybe cause you're not smart enough to follow the link of the story in MSG4 and the reality we live in currently, and where we are headed. It could explain why you are so mad also. ;)

[rainslacker]

The recent trailer, and the one before it offered up questions. Questions people are discussing, and new clues being given with each trailer. That's what trailers are for. To get people talking, and hopefully interested in the game.

It may not interest you yet, or ever, but to say they need to show a lot more to everyone, or else everyone shouldn't be excited, is just wrong.

This is a kojjma game. Regardless of if you're a fan or not, some people are. And this game is already looking like one of his games with all its weirdness. That's why people are fans of his....and that's what they want from him

[Rude-ro]

Two fold...
Fans of Kojima are chomping at the bit to get this game in their hands.
He is a game maker. He loves puzzles, and the released information is a part of the puzzle. If you do not want to put the pieces together, there are videos out there that people have put it all together for you.

And yes, Sony should invest in it. It will make millions and it separates Sony from their competition. If you do not like said company, Microsoft is there waiting for ya.
Even if death stranding flops.. it will push creative choices in game development across the board. A win win for gamers regardless.. or at least for Sony.
A small majority of the people in here are jumping all over a halo cgi tech engine demo with no information.. but death stranding is not giving enough information to make it worth while. Holy crap the gaming media is just a joke now.

[BehindTheRows]

Thank you.

[BLAKHOODe]

Halo is Halo. There is nothing really to question there as everyone already gets what Halo is. But gamers have reason to be cautious of Death Stranding, because we don't exactly know what it is. Some say that's a selling point, but to your average consumer, it's understandably not.

[Markusb33]

Well said I fully agree with you.
Getting wet over cgi tech is acceptable buy a full blown game play demo and mysterious story Is not allowed.

[Chevalier]

@Blakhood

" But gamers have reason to be cautious of Death Stranding, because we don't exactly know what it is. Some say that's a selling point, but to your average consumer, it's understandably not"

Is someone putting a gun to these peoples heads and making them buy this game? You make it seem like someone is being tricked into buying it. If the customer is confused then thats what reviews are for. Why is it an issue that there is intrigue to the game? Are gamers so stupid that they need to be spoonfed everything? Next you'll suggest all the trailers should reveal every major plot point before you go the theatre to watch a movie too?

[Muzikguy]

@Chevalier

It does seem like people are getting that way. B!tch and moan because they’re not given every piece of information before a game comes out. How can you enjoy the game then? Are these the same people that wouldn’t buy games anyway and stick to an “all you can eat” service like Game Pass? I’m glad we don’t know much about this game but still can’t wait to play it.

[hulk_bash1987]

Not bank on Kojima? The mind behind Metal Gear and Zone of the Enders? Hahahaha. Thanks for the laugh my friends.

[raztad]

Death Stranding in my opinion was the most interesting game on display. From the trailer is easy to see it will be an action-stealth game, and it will be most likely open world. I expect it to be somehow similar to MGS5 (gameplay-wise) but you playing as a courier so no cqc or calling airstrikes. Missions will be carried out transversing this harsh world by foot most of the time, but how is this any different than say Fallout 4?

[rainslacker]

I would say that going toward, it's the one I'm most interested in learning more about. Unless it ends up looking really lame later, I'll be getting it day one. Kojjma is a legendary game maker. There's a reason for that, and his portfolio extends well beyond mgs, and ZOE. Seriously, he is responsible for making or perfecting several genres in gaming.

I really look forward to seeing what he can do with enough creative freedom, and when he doesn't have a publisher keep putting him on other gaming projects. Most people don't realize that konami had him work on 4 different game projects while making mgs5. He delivered on them all.

[Aceman18]

Yea I'll keep my trust in Kojima, he hasn't let me down and I'm hella intrigued by this game.

[neutralgamer1992]

Bearded

The game is fall 2019 or may even be early 2020 so we will see more. I am interested in what Kojima can do with complete creative freedom with almost unlimited resources and support

Sony will actually bank on it and make a lot of money and gain a lot of positive PR. Kojima is a legend so I trust him than anyone on any gaming site who may have system biased because this game is coming to ps4

That's why you are getting disagrees

And krib is a known hater do he knows why he gets the disagrees

I just find it amusing that Xbox fans are concerned about a ps4 exclusive

[rainslacker]

Let them be concerned. How many times has their concern ended with Sony releasing a critically acclaimed game that sold very Well? Then they'll move onto the next unreleased game, all while saying how their next exclusive is.going to change everything, and did ends up having mixed reviews, and not selling well, and all they can do is say how mu C fin they're having playing said game, or more recently the better version of all these multiplats.

[SurgicalMenace]

Hideo Kojima should continue to focus on developing his way, whether these over zealous spectators approve or not doesn't matter. These gamers over value themselves, to the point to where they think their opinion is more valuable than the process of developing. Sony AND Kojima have their ducks in a row, you know dedicating their whole lives to doing more than just playing them.

Who cares if we don't know anything, are we entitled to? If they're not making them what would we be playing? How many of us actually know the ins and outs of making games? When is your project coming out?

[trooper_]

I think Kojima's been in the industry longer than some of you were born.

He knows what he's doing.

Anyone who has played a Kojima game knows his work well.

[rainslacker]

He was pretty much the inventor of the modern visual novel genre. Maybe not the first, but he certainly perfected it back with policenaughts and snatcher. Some don't know this, but he was responsible for producing some of the first life simulators as well...although they focused on dating for the most part. He had a major influence on the modern stealth genre, and realistically, mgs5 is one of the best in the genre in terms of game play.

He's also been a director or producer.for a number of projects which went on to do well, or at least be well received. His portfolio is nothing short of impressive.

[conanlifts]

My interpretation was it would play kind of like Outlast and other similar games. Instead of a torch/phone/camera you have some sort of EM thing that can detect the creatures. So you have to travel through the world delivering a baby, while knowing at any moment those creatures could kill you. Generally fighting will not be an option as you need to use stealth, the torch thing and other ways to succeed. If so it is a survival horror game. If the suspense is done right it could work, but the trailer was vague.

[The Wood]

Maybe people don't understand tease

think of it like stripper who takes her time to entice as opposed to one that just flashes her fanny right off the bat. .

Intrigue is a fine art. . Mystery can be a gift and a curse too but no point speculating to the level people are telling Sony to stop doing what they're the best at and that's trusting in different types of games

[Foxhound922]

So many people crying about this game because they "don't understand it." It takes literally 5 minutes to watch a trailer analysis and this is normal for Kojima games. He's a critically acclaimed game maker who makes profound and cerebral games. If you don't like it, there's always call of duty.

[CaptainOmega]

Nope. I'm just saying I completely understand the concern.

[Muzikguy]

I don’t see Sony banking on this game. I think that’s the wrong impression right there. People should stop with all this craziness. They’re going to set themselves up for disappointment. Why would the game need saving when it’s not even out yet nor do we know much about it. I hope to be pleasantly surprised with this game. I’m actually glad we don’t know much about it because I’m tired of good games getting ruined

[RedRedSuit]

I totally agree. Am a huge fan, even of V, but these trailers just make me go “uh okay.”

Someday it’ll release. I’ll read the reviews and proceed accordingly. These trailers are crazy as hell but do nothing for me. If anything they’re rather off-putting, because I prefer a more grounded setting like MGS, rather than over-zither-top insanity like Killer7.

But I’m open to it. No thanks to the silly trailers.

[xfiles2099]

I think Once the Game gets Close to release everything will make sense Opinion Pieces like this is a Joke and should never be taken seriously This guy is a Clown

[zodiac909]

If you ever were a fan of Kojima (which you clearly are not), you would know that most footage of his games before they release are intentionally misleading. He likes to mess with people's mind. Yet in the end, his games always make sense, and conclude satisfactory.

[Dragonscale]

Ooh the xbox fans are downplaying this PlayStation exclusive again, what a surprise.

@krib, this game gets a hell of a lot of attention from a certain quarter of fanboys considering it needs to gain more interest. So it doesn't help that we first saw this in 2016, what does that say about crackdown 3 then, that game could be considered vapourware at this point. Such tryhards and hypocrites lol.

[TheEroica]

Who down votes that statement? Oh right, super insecure Sony fanboys with zero life.

[PaleMoonDeath]

Filthy Casuals, you know nothing.

[chrisx]

Well said. anyone who's played kojimas games in depth knows what's up. death stranding will be one of the greats.

[PaleMoonDeath]

You know what's up my man.

[Nicaragua]

Wow, you guys are so cool and hardcore!

[AspiringProGenji]

Amen!!

[andibandit]

Lets pray

[Snookies12]

It's okay, they'll learn... They'll learn...

[Markusb33]

Only children don't appreciate the lengths this developer will go to in order to push this medium.
Playing metal gear with the only way to beat a boss reading your mind was to plug in your game pad to port 2 was out of this world. I loved it, felt like the game was created by a gamer

[CorndogBurglar]

@ Markusb33

X-Men on Sega Genesis had a level where you had to press the reset button on your console in order to reboot the Danger Room computer in-game and continue to the next level.

Messing with hardware to get further in a game was hardly something Kojima created.

[Lighter9]

@Markusb33

"Only children don't appreciate the lengths this developer will go to in order to push this medium."

You have to get fired from a high paying job? Ok?

[Snookies12]

@Lighter9 - He got away from Konami because he didn't want to put up with their BS practices. That company is scum anyway. That was the best thing for Kojima.

[Blank]

Truly well said Kojima is doing what he does best. Either way Sony never truly puts all their eggs in one basket, in E3 they talked about the current "four pillars" this game is one of those. Lastly Kojima has an insane track record if a publisher can't bank on him making a hit then I truly don't know who can you bank on.

[Lighter9]

@Snookies

No one knows what really happened between Konami and Kojima. It's all speculation. Unless I missed it.

[yomfweeee]

Sony doesn't put all their chips into a single game.

[Seraphim]

that's my first thought when seeing this.... Matter of fact Sony doesn't bank on a lot of the titles it ends up producing. And some are semi successful while others are blockbusters. Not every game is going to gain massive sales and appeal. Sony wants all games to succeed, surely, but they don't bank on any individual one. Nor do they bank on day 1 sales or first month sales. Rather they think long term, ie life time sales.

[zsquaresoff]

It's Kojima, you know, the creator of a little game series called Metal Gear Solid.

[BLAKHOODe]

It's Bleszinski, you know, the creator of a little game series called Gears Of War.

☠️☠️☠️

[chrisx]

comparing dude bro gears of war to metal gear is dumb though. kojima(policnauts, zone of ender etc) is a game genius compared to cliff.

[Samonuske]

Snatcher, Zone of Enders and Policenauts. All games he made and are all great, P.T just a demo was better than most games that came out that year.

[oasdada]

Gears isnt onoen for its story or charachters or anything like that.. It just relied on a game mechanic which wasnt even original as it borrowed from kill switch and rogue troopers

[BLAKHOODe]

I'm just going to be blunt. FANBOYS will come up with a million different reasons to support their choice. And that's what I'm seeing here. Fact is, Kojima is a rock star developer, but so was Bleszinski. Bleszinski failed. Not saying Kojima will, but the possibility exists. Here's hoping Death Stranding is a huge, successful masterpiece with a lasting effect on, not just gaming, but the entertainment industry as a whole. But until it actually comes out, stop making excuses fanboying about it and accept it might be another Lawbreakers.

[Strange_Evil]

No one puts Gears on the same level as MGS. One game is a decent TPS at best which has gone downhill with each release while the other redefined the stealth action genre and is lauded as being an all time great series while Kojima was leading.

[CaptainOmega]

@chris

His comment meant that just because you can make a good series once, that doesn't mean you can do it again.

[Jrios355]

The difference between Kojima and Bleszinski is that Kojima is a highly respected name in the video game industry, and puts a lot of effort into his game. Bleszinski may have made the Gears of War trilogy, but he lost value and respect after his disrespect for other platforms and his huge ego put a bad name on his reputation (One of the main reasons why Lawbreakers suffered and Boss Key Productions was shut down).

[UCForce]

Well, the thing Kojima doesn’t have childish and arrogant attitude like Cliff B. @BeardedDrachen No, his statement is poorly executed.

[Gatsu]

Did you just compare him to Kojima, who revolutionized gaming and the stealth genre?...

[Cha0tik]

Honestly, I'll take being called a Fanboy for a game Kojima has created because he has earned the right for me and apparently many others here to become Fans. Everything that I've ever played with his name in it has been a masterpiece for its originality as well as FUN gameplay. Cliff B, has failed enough to always make me wonder if it will be good or not. The stories that Kojima creates are always unique and confusing at face value but that's what draws attention to his products. So yea, continue calling me a fanboy thinking you're insulting me because you're not... Kojima earned this fanboy. Keep in mind, Fanboy only means an over excited male fan and I'll admit I'm very overly excited but till he disappoints me... I have no reason not to be.

[ILostMyMind]

Little indeed.

[OffRoadKing]

You should be ashamed of yourself. Comparing Kojima to Cliffy B proves you have no clue what you're talking about.

[BLAKHOODe]

@BeardedDrachen

The only person that gets it. 👍

[rainslacker]

Yeah well...cliff didnt have the kind of backing.from a publisher that kojjma has

Kojima has been in the industry longer than cliffy has been alive, and is responsible for creating or perfecting genres. Cliff cliff on the other is a talented dev, with a few good games in existing genres that didn't push the envelope, and gears....of which he wasn't responsible for coming up with the first concept for and had the enormous talent of.epic to help him with production.

Kojjma has a long history of producing and directing games in every genre imaginable. Cliff....not so much. He is currently kind of a one trick pony.

Very different pedigrees, although both are talented in their own ways.

[Kokyu]

Its Kojima-sama Ill give it the benefit of the doubt and reserve judgement til I play it. Right now Im intrigued enough I cant wait for it to release.

[Lexreborn2]

Sony doesn’t have to Bank on any individual property for success. That’s the beauty of them having a diverse selection. They can support different things

[aaronaton]

I can't imagine Sony are expecting this game to break sales records, I think it's more a statement of intent to the gamers and developers that they will always pursue creative and intriguing fresh ideas.
Personally I think this game will be talked about for decades to come, I love how little we know about the game. I don't even really want to watch the reviews for it so I get the full impact.
A little sad how some people just seem perplexed as it doesn't fit into their conventions (marvel soy boys no doubt)

[rivaldoo777]

Haha indeed. This games going to be a piece of art. I think Sony should serious re consider on the' dreams'. Death stranding looks really good and no doubt it will be good.

[Aceman18]

It's almost like today's gamer(s) need instant gratification from what their playing. I see why majority of the younger gamers love fps.

The minute I saw the trailers it started me thinking what the game could be all about.

[jaycptza]

why dont these caants just go play Fortnite? I cannot wait for Death Stranding. No one knows how far our the game is but they getting excited because there hasnt been information? It makes no sense.

[salmonade]

Lol, these guys dont know what they're talking about. This website game State Of Decay 2 a 9.3 ..... you see. They're not all that smart. The trailer was designed specifically that way. They haven't even seen real gameplay mechanics yet. Stupid gutter-trash gaming journos

[JROCKNXL]

we saw gameplay mechanics at E3, not impressed at all. this is just my opinion and you are entitled to yours as well. I hope the game is great for you die hards and not garbage.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

JROCKNXL - Just a question, What games do play/are interested in?

Whatever your answer, don't you want game devs to have the freedom to create games that may not be for you?

DS oozes quality in every department, personally I can't wait.

[HeisenbergX]

JORCKNXL Aww that's cute you actually think you saw everything from the gameplay or anything close to the big picture of what this game is and that now you know enough about the game to make this assumption... not enough explosions or other same old tropes from other games for you in the trailer eh ? my advice is stick to simple games friend this is Hideo Kojima the person who actually tries to invent original ways of how the games are played.

[UCForce]

Yes, we saw the gameplay and we are not surprised. But a lot of people said Death Stranding was all CGI which is not really. Decima Engine make Death Stranding looks beautiful and we did saw the gun in the trailer. Even Kojima posted the picture where Sam is holding a baby with his gun on his back. From what I saw, you can climb on the mountains meaning you can traverses in any environments and I did saw a vehicle in the trailers.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Another poor attempt at cinematic story telling which he is not good at.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

Haha - You never played MGS3? MGS4? Kojima is a guru, his games are unique and don't follow convention.

[HeisenbergX]

Dudee come on he plays Sea of Thieves and Halo he's hardcore

[Destiny1080]

its a ps4 exclusive

[UCForce]

You should understand his work more. Of course, you just want to expose everything. Like I said, he made a mistake with MGS5 by showing a lot of gameplay which ruined people surprises. He won’t do that again with Death Stranding. In his previous work, he wanted gameplay to be surprised for everyone. There was gameplay trailer in his MGS games, but he didn’t show it a lot. He was also master of troll, remember MGS2 when we thought that we were going play as Solid Snake all the way through but instead we played as Raiden and that was biggest troll in gaming. Kojima know how to trick his people so easily and he’s good at it. Like movie and game, every publishers want to give people hype by almost showing everything which killed people surprising. I remember ND wanted to keep Uncharted 4 story to be mysterious as possible. Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War kept the story to be secret as possible before it was release.

[saint_seya]

Another poor attempt to downplay what you can't have. Sour grapes? I like how the know Xbox fans in here find all the Sony exclusives that are loved but players and the media, boring, all the same, they say the games take forever to come, to short, to much cinematics etc..
And then you see same dudes prising games like SoT, and hyping games that are not even announced or where announced like 4 years ago and still are not here.. but hey if is Sony i should hate, if is MS i should make an article to prise it right?

[trooper_]

Another poor attempt to bash a game that's a. not on your system and b. not out yet.

[UCForce]

Like you said the same thing to Detroit Become Human. Is that right ?

[doggo84]

I literally saw you defend crackdown 3 to hell and back in recently in another article, in fact, you were praising it. I've seen you do the same thing for the underwhelmimg at best SOD 2 and sea of thieves as well, and try and crap on actual GOOD games like God of war. I think that should give people perspective on how irrelevant you are. Either that or your taste in gaming is really shit.

[OffRoadKing]

Another poor xbox fanboy troll salty a.f. because this game wont play in his xbone.

[BehindTheRows]

They already did, since they purchased the property. Besides, it's not like he's the only one developing games for their system, and of late, their risk taking has been paying off.

So, they should do exactly as they're doing and let Kojima do his thing, particularly as the man's credentials speak for themselves.

[firelogic]

Sony doesn't need to bank on any one game. They've got enough exclusives to soften the blow should a few of them fail to live up to expectations. They aren't going to lose anything if Death Stranding sucks while they have everything to gain if it's great. They're in a no-lose situation.

Plus, their continued support (Kojima is still greatful to Sony and Guerilla) will only foster a better relationship between the two parties. Seeing as how Guerilla gave Kojima their proprietary engine (which is owned by Sony), I doubt this partnership ends after Death Stranding. If it does end, Kojima Productions needs to spend a lot of resources building a new engine or buying someone else's. And I doubt Sony will let KojiPro make multiplatform games with their engine.

[Kostche]

am curious how the soldiers we seen fit into the game, i know in the trailer we seen them show rifle and town down in the valley

[DEAGLETURK]

Stupid Casual Players vs Kojima San

[Gamist2dot0]

So based on the latest trailer, he thinks he knows everything about the game. Yeah, he's part of the development team all right - gtfo. With his way of thinking, he might as well suggest MS to cut back on the next Halo since the latest trailer looks it's a camping simulator.

[corroios]

Damn exclusive after exclusive the attack is incredible. Just Stop. Yes, Sony should back one of the best in the industry.

They should try and get Kojima and welcome him to the sony studios. What is bad is doing the same games over and over and over with almost nothing new beside a number or talking about how amazing is the rez this time.

What type of game is this? I don't know, but we need new stuff. Only fools would talk trash about Hideo Kojima.

One thing im sure. It wont be a game full of bugs or almost barebone in every aspect.

[windblowsagain]

Sony isn't banking on DS.

Kojima hasn't made a good game since MGS/1/2

The rest were metal gear boredom.

[Razzer]

“The rest were metal gear boredom.”

Completely disagree. I enjoyed every single MGS game Kojima has made. MGS 1/2/3/4/5, Portable Ops, Peace Walker. Did I miss any? They were all great games, IMO.

[windblowsagain]

That's all we have around here. Opinions.

They are just not my type of game I guess.

[MetalGearAlex]

Sony should because they already did and because Kojima has rediculously high standards for quality gameplay, graphics, and movie like well written story/cutscenes. No need to fear Sony. don't listen to the cynics/skeptics of Kojima's genius! If he lets us down, it would be a first in his 20+ year career. :) actually, its when Kojima is NOT involved that we get bad games (Metal Gear Portable Ops and Metal Gear Survive).

[Skankinruby]

That's the brilliance of sony, they don't 'bank' on any one game, unlike other consoles. Death Stranding, wether amazing or complete garbage, is part of a huge list of playstation exclusives and Sony isn't depending on its success in any way.

[Tross]

We don't know enough about the game to make a definitive judgment, so how does this author figure it will bomb? Besides, Kojima's at the helm of this one and Konami aren't breathing down his neck to compromise his creative vision. The game is in capable hands.

[kevnb]

I think its worth taking a chance and letting him do whatever he wants, its not like they dont have a bunch of other games. Im thinking the game will most likely be great anyway.

[xenz]

People should know by now how Kojima promotes his games. At first glance they may seem like nothing, just pure randomness, but they never are. Every detail, every word spoken has a hidden meaning behind it. That's just how Kojima is.

If you look around the internet, PythonstalkerHD for example, you'll start to understand more and more for each trailer what the game is really about. Somehow, Death Stranding seems to be extremly related to P.T. in many ways. Even the music for the first and the most recent trailer is directly giving you hints about what the game is all about. It's mind blowing when you first start to dig deeper into all the small bits and pieces of hints that Kojima is scattering around for each trailer.

Also, Kojima called this trailer a "silent" trailer.

[Trilithon]

C L I C K B A I T - the game looks beautiful. OMG an original concept?! surely we need more zombie games and military themed first person shooters. spiderman ?? lol. QUIT your job

[gamer7804]

The game seems weird and bland at the same time, it could be a flop who knows until we see more.

[Kumakai]

personally im not even remotely interested in this game and being at e3 and seeing the reveal with all the hype and excitement of physically being there with everyone else didn't really change that for me. I'm definitely definitely excited for TLOU 2 and Ghost of Tsushima so I'm not hating on Sony. i just think Kojima has gone off the deep end. I think he tries to come off as esoteric at best, but I don't think there is honestly some deeper philosophical meaning behind his "storytelling". I think its the Lost TV series approach. Keep it vague, mysterious and kinda make it up as you go along.

[JROCKNXL]

THANK YOU!!! I am not hating directly on Sony in this article either TLOU 2, Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima now those were exciting to see at E3. DS not so much. but hey its just my opinion and yours lol

[michellelynn0976]

Not impressed so far. I will wait and see though. It could turn out to be amazing.

[GameGod26]

LOL

[Markusb33]

Save the game ? Why what trouble is it in?
The games industry lives to be pessimistic.

[ZombieKiller]

Games are about creativity and design and Kojima excels in both. He keeps what he wants to keep in the dark to keep us guessing. Sony SHOULD invest in games like this because they are unique and well designed. A staple of what Sony has been releasing in the last 10+ years. I think by now Sony AND Kojima know what they are doing. More than some opinion piece that pretends to be professional. Maybe he didn't show much because he didn't want to. Have you EVER seen a MGS game and it's trailer?

[Hardiman]

Its crazy how the naysayers always say there's nothing new or games are the same old, same old! There are a few articles popping up about Spider-Man that are perfect examples of this but when something does come along and is completely different Sony shouldn't bank on it!

[quenomamen]

No thats why got other great looking exclusives. There is another console maker that does think one game can save it tho.

[jackdaddy]

That was the most garbage write-up I've read in years. All the crap that comes out week after week and you want to try and take strips off something you know obviously nothing about. Go back to plants vs zombies and stay the fk away from trying to be knowledgeable and brave. You don't cut it.

[FPS_D3TH]

Except Sony has more than just one exclusive on deck. So no, they aren’t just banking on death stranding.

[TheColbertinator]

I will buy it for sure. Have no idea what it is.

[Silly gameAr]

I can't wait for Death Stranding.

[OhReginald]

I think it looks cool visually and glad to see kojima getting his creative freedom back. However I'm not really connecting with it... I will give It a chance tho cause of kojima.

[AK91]

Oh game journalists will you ever learn?

[drunkenspy007]

they've got enough bank to go around, this won't hurt them.

[MADGameR]

Death Stranding looks too risky... I wouldn't bank on that game if I were SONY. It's questionable because there has been 0 combat.

[mastershredder]

A quarter way into the game your are going to find out that you are actually playing as David Hayter.

[Kyizen]

It's Kojima...This was the guy who added gameplay features when most games were running and jumping. Now it is true the game looks weird and what they shown of gameplay makes very little sense right now but if anyone know how to make a game world and gameplay it is him.

[techies]

If im Sony and im getting an exclusive game with Kojima, you bet your ass i'll bank on it. the thing is Sony almost never puts all the eggs in one basket, but still Kojima is a big name.

[Elda]

Kojima's name & stamp on the game alone has a lot of folks in the gaming community curious about the game Death Stranding.I just want to know what is the basic gameplay mechanic in playing the game,is it just traversing & exploration with disturbing images or is it an action adventure game.

[King_Lothric]

Many hate from the Xbox community the same way they hated Hellblade when it was console exclusive to PS4 and now praise the same game they hated.

You cannot take any criticism from the Xbox camp seriously.

Anyone who knows Kojima knows how he likes to confuse and manipulate the media and how amazing his games are.

We will talk later when this game became a commercial and critically acclaimed success and how some people here will have to eat their poison.

[Da12RespectA]

The game is about a dude carrying boxes and a baby. Wtf

[Germaximus]

It's clearly a walking sim adventure from what we saw at E3 this year.

[OffRoadKing]

Even if it was just a "walking simulator", which its not, it would still be better than anything Microsoft showed.

[Da12RespectA]

You mad high

[Veneno]

I see this becoming the Twin Peaks of video games. Something avant garde and completely different from its contemporaries. Now that I realize this this makes me more intrigued.

[blacktiger]

WRONG: Konami wanted cheap voice actors and smaller budget, nothing to do with Hideo Kojima taking forever.
Some games like GTA and many more games takes 5-6 years so what?
This article is more of a anxiety of success. We are all sometimes nervous for Hideo Kojima, anyways good luck to him and I trust him since Metal Gear Solid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!! SNAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sm3000]

When it releases it could be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but right now I'm just not feeling it. And I've been patient. 3 E3's in a row, and it's nothing but baby's rear ends, ripped toe nails, and backpacks the size of refrigerators

[Snakeking33]

I have yet to play a bad Kohima game so I am not worried

[jznrpg]

Sony isn’t banking on Death Stranding alone so they have nothing to worry about. They have many high end games and if they have one fail occasionally it’s worth trying. Not that I think Death Stranding won’t be good but whatever. I personally think it’s better to try and release the game and let the consumer decide if it’s good instead of cancelling every game your not sure about

[RosweeSon]

They haven’t in the slightest.

[Sm00thNinja]

But if Shigeru Miyamoto announces a new game tomorrow we're going to all be mad excited!

Kojimas pedigree alone has me intrigued. Although MGS5 was trash.....

[RedRedSuit]

Calling V trash shows how spoiled and full of faux tough guys the internet has become. Not your cup of tea? Story didn’t do it for you? Okay. But trash? The game is full of blood/sweat/tears of its makers and does what it set out to do very well. To consign a huge ambitious system like MGS V to a single-word, rude dismissal is so pathetic.

[Sm00thNinja]

Wow you may need help. I'm not entitled to my own opinion? MGSV was trash IMO. BETTER? You must be one of these people that think we should all mourn xxxtenacion death too.

MGSV WAS TRASH. If that statement makes me a faux tough guy then come at me. Definitely not his greatest achievement. MGS4 we can talk about.

Plenty of games have blood sweat and tears pour into them and just don't turn out to please everyone. The Order 1886 in particular rings a bell. No Man's Sky.... Another victim. I loved both of these titles and they were trash in other people's eyes.

I totally agree. Am a huge fan, even of V, but these trailers just make me go “uh okay.” - this was a quote BY YOU

You're a huge fan, even of V? So you acknowledge in one fell swoop V was a weaker entry and then try and hit me with this nonsense?

Please take your SJW parade elsewhere

[RedRedSuit]

Your reply to me was basically just a jumble of words, especially the highly random statement at the end about SJWs.

“You're a huge fan, even of V? So you acknowledge in one fell swoop V was a weaker entry and then try and hit me with this nonsense?”

My point exactly; yes. I see no issue with criticizing V. However, consigning something like that to just “trash” is transparent internet tough guy-ism. I already did “come at” you. If it were a game that didn’t work, that was essentially failed at every level, that had huge issues preventing from it being enjoyed at any level — that’s “trash.”

In fact I’ll go further. I wouldn’t even mind the statement itself, if the poster believed it. A statement like that, given the game in question, is just unlikely to be sincere. More likely it’s trying to be “cool” by being ultra-negative.

[UCForce]

MGS V isn’t trash to be honest. Sure, the story isn’t that great like other MGS games. But the gameplay was freaking fun and a lot of weapons to use. How was Metal Gear Survive ? The gameplay is major downgrade from MGS 5 and the story is somewhat worse than MGS 5 story. The most stupid thing in Metal Gear Survive is the stamina system. Like seriously ? If you crouch or prone, your stamina will drain even you crouch normally. Sprint is fine, but crouch and prone will drain your stamina, really ? If you want to know the real trash, that would be Metal Gear Survive, not MGS 5.

[Sm00thNinja]

I agree but I just didn't like MGSV. JUST MY OPINION. ONE day I may revisit this statemenent

[RedRedSuit]

Of course it’s not. It’s an incredibly complex game with many advanced systems working together to result in a very unique and fun experience. The story, that is controversial; definitely needs a damned story DLC but is painful as the finale. I understand anger about the story (though personally I still found it rather exciting and thought provoking). But to be trash it’d just have to be worthless on every level. Not the case here.

[RedRedSuit]

This is barely literate. Retry.

Honestly! How this can be an actual story promoted by a major site like n4g — it’s beyond me. Did you guys read it beyond the headline snippet? It’s written so amateurishly. It’s just an unprofessional illiterate rant.

Please....

[Gatsu]

The game will sell a lot and will be awesome for sure. Not every game need to explain and show everything these days in trailers.... Games and movies show too much before being released in my opinion.

[Psychosious]

I’m so done with the gaming community. Demanding, whiny, turd eating morons. Just play the game when it comes out, ffs when has kojima let us down? Just let the man build what he wants, and let’s critique the finished product.

Btw Kojima, owes nobody an explanation or anything. It his vision, his quest, his game, nobody outside his studio should have anything to say about it until he asks you for your money.

[Tankbusta40]

Good to know you only like people who share your opinions!

[Silly gameAr]

It's really sad. Since E3, it's like they've been trying to be as negative as they can, and blow the smallest things out of proportion. I'm tired of the drama queens and entitled brats.

[Tankbusta40]

I wouldn't bank on the game either... I think it's going to be a huge disappointment to everyone who isn't part of the Kojima cult

[GameGod26]

Because you don’t understand the game= it will be a disappointment yep that makes sense.

[Tankbusta40]

This arrogance that you fools take is absolutely hilarious. There is nothing to understand in that trailer...its an absolute mess. Maybe people like you thought they saw some underlying meaning...but I guarantee you didn't. Either way keep thinking you are intelligent...its a freaking video game.

[GrimDragon]

Looks like the game is about taking strolls on a strange planet. But you need to be careful where you walk or you get killed.

[GameGod26]

Obviously we will find out more about the game,guess I don’t understand or see an issue yet with it. but people love to complain especially gamers so have at it

[Tankbusta40]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The trailer was terrible so naturally people are going to express disgust with it. It has nothing to do with being a "spoiled gamer" if that was a movie trailer people would do the same. However you are intelligent so the rest of us just aren't on your intelligence level gamegod

[shinoff2183]

People just hating on a game that still has plenty of time before it releases. Give Kojima the benefit of doubt jeez. This guy has made nothing but incredible games imo.
Relax

[Inzo]

"but is that really going to save this game?"

From what? A whole article and not one mention from what it should be saved from.

*click bait*

[Tazzy]

This game is going to sell like crazy and there's going to be sequels no doubt about Sony should bank on this game and they are I'm interested in it and I'm sure countless others are as well.

[dreue]

I think this author does bad journalism.... No one cant say this game is going to be gpod or bad... Just give it time to release and we will see..... And by the way sony wants more different games for the console... So i dont see this as a bad thing at least sony is trying...

[doggo84]

Sony Doesn't need to listen to pretentious media. We are in a gaming generation where half baked, 2nd rate pieces of garbage like PUBG and fortnite are given king status, and where "lootboxes" are spoken more about than producing "good stories". To me that's incredibly sad. Creative visionaries like Kojima are slammed, despite their strong desire to innovate and move the industry forward.

I bet if this was picked up exclusively for xbox, it would be considered a "stroke of absolute genius", but i guess since this is a ps4 excluisve, it's a piece of shit apparently, and Kojima is (apparently) the worst

[Tankbusta40]

The idiots who use the Microsoft excuse are grasping at straws...Xbox fans aren't the ones who disliked the trailer...trying to use them as an excuse shows fanboy ignorance. Bad trailer=negative thoughts on the game, has nothing to do with system of preference. There are plenty of ps exclusives that an xbox owner could get salty over...this is not one of them.

[angelusbrz]

People like him are the reason why creativity is dead.

[Xavi4K]

The grpahic looks best this gen however we need to see an actual game play

[AllThingsShining]

*Sony reads nextlevelgaming article titled 'Sony should not bank on Kojima and Death Stranding*

"Hmm, maybe we shouldn't have put all our eggs in one basket with this Kojima chap. If only we had TLOU2, Spiderman, Ghost of Tsushima, and Dreams round the corner..."

[Goukira]

Looking back how Sony handles their games and how they advertise them it's one big success story. There was hardly any information on god of war for example only some pieces and bits from the new gameplay and in the end it exceeded everyone's expectation und surprised everyone. Therefore Sony has at least games to get excited for and are clouded in mystery. On the Xbox side everyone knows what they get with a new gears Forza and halo. Tell me one big game from microsoft that surprised anyone...when I think back only ori comes to my mind.

[Tankbusta40]

Deflection...has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

[BushLitter]

Totally agree with this article

[Braindeadninja]

To early to predict anything

[Da12RespectA]

This game is about homeless men high on acid trying to get his life back in order starting a moving company without a truck.

[JROCKNXL]

best comment ever!!!

[CrimsonWing69]

So... you’re basing this off of what exactly?

[jwillj2k4]

That shit looked boring as hell in the trailer. I hope I’m wrong when it comes out.

[OnlyThoseOnTheFence]

This article is so biased it can't even be considered journalism.

[Opinionatedlovesme]

Tell that MS who are still banking on a 2014 game named Crackdowngrade 3

[microgenius]

In master Kojima we trust

[Tito08]

I won't listen to some journalist on a computer keyboard tell a company not to bank on somebody that knows what he's doing & who previously was the face of Konami for a long time & who also the PlayStation community admires & respects, but also the entire gaming community. I get some people are concerned about the game, but there hasn't being any announcements about release date or anything like that, so let the guy & the team do their job, smh.

[DaGreatOne]

I still have no clue what the game is about but that hasn't lowered my excitement. The goal post seem to constantly change on this site when it comes to trusting the developers vision of their game. Let's just see what becomes of this people and reserve our judgment for now.

[Scatpants]

"Save this game" What makes you think this game needs saving? All you've seen is a cryptic cinematic trailer.

[Dirtnapstor]

This game will be Boss. Everyone should know by now Kojima is quite the mastermind. I'll admit, this year's E3 installment was not as good as previous debuts. But still, there is a lot going on in this universe. The dots will be connected eventually and we'll all be enlightened.

[Bleucrunch]

That is the problem with gamers today, they want to know what the game is about, who is the main character, why was this character created, why is this game being created and also what is the ending to the game. Then when they find that out they complain about the game being ruined for them....Some confused and entitled folks man, just wait for the game to come out and while you wait you will see more and more videos.....

[shauzy]

the fanboyism is sparkling in this thread

[subtenko]

You should not bank on sony banking on kojima and death stranding

[Tankbusta40]

I would venture to bet, that most of everyone who is on this thread complaining about gamers and saying they hate them etc probably all hated Metal Gear Survive as soon as it was announced and didn't give it a shot at all. The hypocrisy is so amazing!