Hideo Kojima has always been known as a bit of an eccentric auteur in the video games industry. His games have always felt unique, especially with Death Stranding and its sequel, On the Beach.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, musician Woodkid — who serves as co-composer on the Death Stranding 2: On the Beach soundtrack — revealed that Kojima made changes to critical points in the game because playtesting results showed that players were enjoying the game a bit too much.
“I’m going to be very honest, we have been testing the game with players and the results are too good. They like it too much. That means something is wrong; we have to change something.”
Rolling Stone
And he changed stuff in the script and the way some crucial stuff [happens] in the game because he thought his work was not polarizing and not triggering enough emotions.
And he said, “If everyone likes it, it means it’s mainstream. It means it’s conventional. It means it’s already pre-digested for people to like it. And I don’t want that. I want people to end up liking things they didn’t like when they first encountered it, because that’s where you really end up loving something.
This sounds exactly like something Kojima would say. From the way he carries himself in interviews and how he describes his games, it’s clear that he wants to create art, not just regular ol’ video games. He wants his work to endure, and Woodkid testifies that Kojima doesn’t compromise when it comes down to it.
In the interview, he goes on to describe Kojima as “a genius”, though he also points out that he works closely with the ideas of his team, and that helps to shape his games.
Death Stranding, as an IP, has been on a bit of a roll lately. It’s already getting a movie adaptation with A24, and Kojima also recently revealed that they’re working on an anime adaptation too. The sequel has been reported to be more combat-focused this time around.
The sequel sees the return of Sam Bridges, who was also the protagonist of the first game. This time around, he’s sent to Mexico and Australia to help connect the continent, and he does so with his BB Lou, who also made an appearance in the first game. The cast is stacked, as you might imagine. It includes Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux, and Elle Fanning. Voice actor Troy Baker also makes a return, which should be interesting, considering what happened to his character the last go-around.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is set to be released for PS5 on June 26.
