As the world recalibrates after enduring the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the gaming landscape has likewise shifted in fascinating ways.
Hideo Kojima, the founder as well as director of Kojima Productions and creator of the Death Stranding franchise, has given us insights into how the global crisis has influenced the development and themes of Death Stranding 2, his upcoming sequel.
This look into Kojima’s creative process and the thematic evolution of Death Stranding 2 offers an opportunity for us to be more appreciative the broader implications of our shared experience in reshaping cultural artefacts.
A recent conversation with J-Pop idol Nocchi of the group Perfume for the Japanese outlet Music Natalie, revealed that the sequel to the critically acclaimed game Death Stranding will redefine the concept of “strand” and connectivity. The first title posited connection as the cornerstone of societal reconstruction. However, the pandemic made Kojima Productions rethink this idea. They felt the surge in “remote and other pseudo-connections” failed to fully encapsulate the complex human need to interact and engage with the physical world.
The global pandemic reshaped our world and brought into sharp focus the fissures, particularly highlighting the perpetually bleak states of isolation and fragmentation we all face. This new understanding has dramatically changed Kojima’s vision of what the sequel should be. The altered meaning of “strand” – a genre that Kojima first coined, not unlike the self-made “tactical espionage action” genre of Metal Gear – is a direct reflection of this shift in perspective. The message inscribed at the end of the sequel’s first teaser, “Should We Have Connected?”, is a poignant indication of this transformative direction.
Kojima had already begun writing Death Stranding 2’s narrative before the pandemic hit, but he found himself revisiting the drawing board when the world started mirroring the dystopian themes of his game. The tale of Sam Porter Bridges, who is a courier helping to rebuild a fragmented society, resonated eerily with the heightened importance of delivery services. But, the pandemic-induced reality rendered the previous interpretation of ‘strand’ in the game inadequate, necessitating a significant rewrite of the game’s script.
The first Death Stranding was rich in linguistic wordplay and layered meanings of the word ‘strand’. From symbolizing the shore of a beach to implying abandonment, and even defining the game’s genre as a “strand-type game”, the word served as a multifaceted metaphor.
The sequel promises to continue this linguistic exploration, yet with a focus on redefining what the genre represents in a post-pandemic world.
Beyond the thematic pivot, Kojima revealed plans to experiment with music in Death Stranding 2, promising to venture into areas yet untouched in gaming and cinema. The aim, as with the first installment, is to continue pushing boundaries and exploring uncharted territories in gameplay and narrative.
Adding to the excitement, Kojima also offered some insights into the much-anticipated Death Stranding movie announced last December. The film, although derivative of the game, will be an entirely different entity, with Kojima coming aboard in a supervisory role. The movie is set to introduce new characters and might potentially exclude the game’s protagonist, Sam Porter Bridges.
With the pandemic serving as an unexpected muse, Kojima’s imaginative reinterpretation of “strand” and “connection” has further amplified anticipation for Death Stranding 2. As we await its release, one thing is certain: Kojima is not holding back in his mission to use this sequel as a platform for exploring our changing understanding of connection in a rapidly evolving world.
If the first game was any indication, Death Stranding 2 will be another captivating work from Kojima, an auteur who is no stranger to blurring the boundaries between fiction, reality, and the manifold spaces in between.
Aside from Death Stranding 2, Kojima is working on a game with Xbox and another presumably unannounced title.
