Box art and new details of the upcoming Sony Interactive Entertainment and Kojima Productions game, "Death Stranding," has just been revealed, Game Informer reported. Initially announced in 2015, the game has undergone a long development period. During that time, only a few trailers have been released and they've probably raised more questions than they've answered. However, considering the creator of the game, Hideo Kojima, fans probably wouldn't have it any other way.
Time at Konami
For the uninitiated, Hideo Kojima is an auteur game developer who got his start working on games for the MSX2 home computer.
The publisher, Konami, wanted a military action game for the platform, but technical limitations prohibited having multiple enemies on screen. Kojima theorized that a stealth-based game in which the player tried to avoid direct contact with soldiers would be perfect to accommodate these limitations. From this concept, the "Metal Gear" series was born.
The original game centers around a special ops soldier code-named Solid Snake, who attempts to stop a Zanzibar based terrorist group known as Outer Heaven. Snake must infiltrate the stronghold and destroy Metal Gear- a giant robot capable of launching Nuclear Missiles. As the series progressed and gaming technology improved, the storytelling became much more elaborate.
Big names such as Kiefer Sutherland would be enlisted and the plots would touch on taboo subjects such as privatized military companies, control of mass media, and sexual abuse.
However, with more involved stories came ballooning budgets. Dissatisfied with Kojima's expensive projects, Konami canceled his then-upcoming horror game "Silent Hills", fired him, and scrubbed any acknowledgment of his involvement in "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain."
Partnership with Sony
In 2015, Sony and Kojima announced that they'd be collaborating on a new game called "Death Stranding." Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, and Guillermo Del Toro were all confirmed to be providing their likeness and performances for the game.
Specific details on the gameplay have been scarce. Players will control a character named Sam who aims to rebuild society in a world standing on the precipice of destruction. Recently, Kojima productions unveiled the cover art of the game on Twitter.
Introducing the key art of #DEATHSTRANDING! pic.twitter.com/cmm9tTksEL
— Kojima Productions (@KojiPro2015_EN) July 21, 2019
In a panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Kojima revealed that the role played by Mikkelsen was originally going to be played by Keanu Reeves.
Games Radar notes that he stated, "I was originally recommended Keanu Reeves, but I wanted Mads." Coincidentally, Reeves was recently revealed to be performing in another high profile game called "Cyberpunk 2077" at E3 2019. "Death Stranding" is slated for a November 2019 release on PlayStation 4.