In a surprising turn of events, Kojima Productions’Death Stranding: Director’s Cuthas shadow-dropped on Xbox Series X/S in honor of the game’s fifth anniversary. Once a Sony-exclusive title, that has now apparently changed, as theDeath StrandingIP is now fully in the hands of Kojima Productions. As Hideo Kojima’s first project after leaving Konami,Death Strandinghas become notable for its incredibly bizarre story, and Xbox players will now finally get a chance to experience that strangeness.
Now thatDeath Strandingis available for Xboxusers, this seemingly marks the end of an era for Kojima Productions' deal with Sony. Kojima and his respective studio confirmed that theDeath StrandingIP is no longer under the umbrella of Sony, allowing the game to reach a new audience for the first time. This update is exciting enough on its own, but this holds even greater implications for its upcoming sequel,Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Death Stranding 2 Could Reach a Broader Audience
If Kojima Productions fully owns the franchise, it only makes sense to assume that this impliesDeath Stranding 2could possibly be a day one Xbox launch.The wait leading up toDeath Stranding 2has offered bits and pieces of insight into what Kojima Productions has in store for gamers, and it could very well grow its reach even further now. In the official press release, Kojima states, “Kojima Productions (Death Stranding) will continue to connect more and more players around the world, so please stay tuned.”
His emphasis on connecting players around the world could simply be a fun nod toDeath Stranding’s basic premise of connecting the surviving worldvia the Chiral Network. However, this could also be a hint at the post-apocalyptic franchise growing with its sequel, as well. The press release from Kojima Productions adds even more weight to this possibility by stating, “Kojima Productions will continue its focus on bringing their award-winning IP,Death Stranding,to more platforms and audiences.” With this official statement,Death Stranding 2being an Xbox day one release is not far out of the realm of possibility.
Death Strandingwas added to PC Game Pass back in 2022.
Xbox is a Land of Opportunity For Death Stranding 2
Because of Kojima’s knack for incredibly strange and absurdly imaginative concepts,Death Strandingdoesn’t exactly have the same reach as fellow big-name titles.The bizarre ideas ofDeath Strandingcan easily turn some away, but bringing the franchise into the Xbox sphere can open doors for those who have been long-interested in exploring Kojima’s beautifully weird world. As the premiere title for Kojima Productions,Death Strandingups the ante with Kojima’s wild ideas, and bringing that to more gamers who are interested in unorthodox stories will only be a positive for the IP.
Kojima Productions (Death Stranding) will continue to connect more and more players around the world, so please stay tuned.
More Death Stranding 2 News is Hopefully on the Horizon
Kojima’s Teased Release Date
At this year’s Tokyo Game Show,Kojima confirmed that aDeath Stranding 2release date has been locked in, but “unforeseen circumstances” kept him from officially announcing it. Looking back, it makes one wonder if this “unforeseen circumstance” was due to the secretive transfer of power between Sony and Kojima Productions. It’s possible that Kojima chose to wait to announce a release date to confirm a launch for both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S. Of course, this is just a theory, but the timing would make sense.
Kojima Productions' other in-development projects includeODandPhysint.
As the year wraps up, there will hopefully be another update regardingDeath Stranding 2’s release plans. Much of the game still remains in the shadows, but this unexpected Xbox launch is an exciting development.
Death Stranding
WHERE TO PLAY
From legendary game creator Hideo Kojima comes a genre-defying experience, now expanded in this definitive DIRECTOR’S CUT.In the future, a mysterious event known as the Death Stranding has opened a doorway between the living and the dead, leading to grotesque creatures from the afterlife roaming the fallen world marred by a desolate society.As Sam Bridges, your mission is to deliver hope to humanity by connecting the last survivors of a decimated America.Can you reunite the shattered world, one step at a time?DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT on PC includes HIGH FRAME RATE, PHOTO MODE and ULTRA-WIDE MONITOR SUPPORT. Also includes cross-over content from Valve Corporation’s HALF-LIFE series and CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077. Stay connected with players around the globe with the Social Strand System™.
