Fans of Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima have been feverishly waiting for his upcoming title Death Stranding since its announcement in 2016, especially since it would be his first title following his departure from Konami. Considering the awful reputation Konami had gained at the time for its treatment of the beloved developer (though Kojima himself admits he owes a lot to the company), many were glad to see him gain complete and total freedom to do what he wanted, though now it looks like that level of freedom has led to a slight delay for his mysterious new game.

According to an interview with Japanese site j-wave, Kojima stated that Death Stranding is "slightly" behind schedule but "it is assembled." Kojima most likely expected people to get worried about the delay so he has reassured fans that the game's release date "has been slightly out of the initial plan, but not much delayed.” The release date has been the subject of rumors for years now, with the most recent one claiming that it would come out this year, which is now looking extremely unlikely.

While a slight delay may not be so bad, it should be noted that we don't know when Kojima originally intended for the game to be released, so the extent of the delay is very unclear. He once stated that it would be out before the 2020 Olympics so it's possible fans still have a couple of years to wait.

In the aforementioned interview, Kojima mentioned that he hasn't compromised his vision for the title, which could be the primary reason for the delay. With seemingly no restrictions on what he can do, it looks like Kojima could hold off on releasing it for as long as he wants until it perfectly reflects his vision. While this could result in a groundbreaking piece of entertainment, it could run the risk of generating apathy amongst his fans who might grow tired of waiting or even be left disappointed with the finished product.

As it stands, there is still so much about the game we don't know aside from the numerous celebrities starring in it, like Norman Reedus, and a potential multiplayer element that has yet to be properly confirmed or not.

Death Stranding is currently planned to release as a PS4 exclusive but, at this rate, it could also end up on Sony's upcoming PlayStation 5, which is slated to release in 2020.

Source: Siliconera