Only fifteen days remain until Death Stranding finally arrives and players can (hopefully) have an answer to the popular question “what is Death Stranding?” Until then, though, fans of Hideo Kojima can have a brief look at his studio as well as a good laugh, courtesy of talk show host and well-known gamer Conan O’Brien.
O’Brien set fans buzzing last year when he revealed that he had visited Kojima Productions, suggesting a possible collaboration between Kojima and O’Brien. Though he kept the details of his tour a mystery for a full year, this week O’Brien finally opened up with a segment on his show all about it. It’s a short segment, and it doesn’t really reveal anything about the game that Kojima fans don’t already know, but on the other hand, they do get to find out why Norman Reedus’ character, Sam Porter Bridges, is naked so often.
In lifting the veil of mystery surrounding Kojima Productions a little, we see O’Brien wander around the studio, open a door to reveal Kojima himself surrounded by an aura of heavenly light, and stand in front of a shelf full of collectibles like a Kojima action figure. It’s there that viewers get to see O’Brien accuse Kojima of possessing a vibrator based on popular Japanese superhero Ultraman. No word yet on whether that’s showing up in Death Stranding.
Other highlights include O’Brien showing off a coat rack (the only never-before-seen thing in the studio he was allowed to highlight) and getting his face scanned so he can be added to the list of celebrities appearing in Death Stranding. He also sits down with Kojima to watch the game's trailers, which, just as a reminder, include footage of a baby chilling in someone’s esophagus. This leads him to ask a question many an average person has probably wanted to ask Kojima: “What’s wrong with you?”
As much as Kojima likes to market his games as thoughtful, serious dramas, he’s rather famous for sprinkling them with his unique sense of humor. Why else is Metal Gear Solid’s cardboard box such an iconic part of a series about soldiers and war? It’s weird but it’s deliberate, and that’s why it makes perfect sense that Death Stranding features O’Brien rewarding players with a sea otter hat.
With only two weeks and a day to go before the game releases, gamers will be hearing more about it soon, and not just more teases either. Fans are going to want to keep an eye out next Friday, November 1, because that’s when the review embargo for Death Stranding lifts and fans can finally get some substantial information about the game.
Death Stranding comes out on November 8 for the PlayStation 4.