Hideo Kojima has said that he rewrote Death Stranding 2 to make it thematically tie in with what billions around the world experienced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and reflected on how entertainment itself has changed because of it. Considered to be one of the most influential figures in Japanese gaming, Kojima's career stretches more than three and a half decades and his work has been celebrated for generations.
Recently, Death Stranding 2 was revealed, which is the follow-up to the 2019 release developed by the Japanese director's own studio Kojima Productions. Rumors about a sequel had been bandied around for some time, with Kojima himself leaving some obtuse clues on his social media channels. While the first game may have split audiences, with some finding the walking simulator aspects and lengthy cut scenes unappealing, Death Stranding was undoubtedly a great success, and many are now looking forward to the next installment.
Hideo Kojima recently spoke to IGN about the upcoming Death Stranding sequel, and one particular aspect of the interview stands out. In a discussion about the COVID-19 pandemic, the director said that he rewrote the script for DS2 to reflect the changes the world went through during 2020 and perhaps even beyond. Kojima says that people "can't pretend that something this big never happened," adding that, while Death Stranding's characters aren't "bound by our reality," the people who played the game did experience the pandemic.
He goes on to say that he wrote Death Stranding 2 to reflect these themes and feels that a piece of fiction written before the pandemic just "wouldn't resonate" with audiences in the same way. There's no denying that COVID-19 had a significant impact on gaming, both in the general community and the industry itself, particularly in development. Many studios had to delay their games due to the pandemic, and even the hardware market felt the strain as more and more people were playing games while in isolation, though consoles and PC peripherals simply could not meet demand, which led to shortages.
On top of the sequel, there's also a Death Stranding movie in the works. If that wasn't enough, Hideo Kojima has also been teasing another project and started a podcast not long ago. His name certainly carries a lot of weight in gaming, and no doubt many fans will be curious to see what DS2 has to say about global pandemics.
Death Stranding 2 is currently in development.
Source: IGN