Despite generating a ton of buzz when first revealed at E3 2016,Death Strandingdidn’t turn out to be the massive smash hit that Sony was hoping for. After HideoKojima parted ways with Konami, Sony struck a deal with the acclaimed video game developer to create a brand new exclusive for the PlayStation, which eventually becameDeath Stranding. While not a failure by any means, selling 4 million copies and turning a profit,Death Strandingstill fell short of the expectations set by other big PS4 exclusives likeMarvel’s Spider-Man,which has currently sold 20 million copies.
While PlayStation enthusiasts would have loved to see Kojima stay onboard as an exclusive creator, recent reports have indicated thatSony has passed on Kojima’s next game. Because of this, there are reports that Xbox may strike a deal with the veteran game developer, snatching up the visionary talent that Sony seems to want to cut ties with. Although all the information for what occurred behind the scenes is not clear, there are many facts and clues from recent years to indicate exactly what prompted Sony to make this business decision.
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Death Stranding’s Mixed Reception
As mentioned,Death Strandingwas not anywhere near the same league in terms of critical or commercial success as many of the other noteworthy exclusives on the PS4.God of Warcleaned up at the Game of the Year Awards, whileHorizon: Zero Dawnhas sold over 10 million units, making it one of the biggest new IPs fromSony’s Worldwide Studios. The bar has been set extremely high by these other contemporaries, a bar whichDeath Strandingsadly wasn’t able to measure up to.
The unique 2019 adventure certainly has its fanbase, but it is relatively niche compared to the triple A blockbuster status of other PS4 games. This may not sit well with Sony, which after pouring in funding for time and resources, may only want the best of the best in terms of a return investment. Most of thefirst party PlayStation exclusivestend to follow a similar style, being third person action adventures with a heavy emphasis on narrative and big set pieces.
WhileDeath Strandingdoes technically fit into this category, it also exhibited far more experimental concepts than other titles, with all of the bizarre twists and conventions Kojima is known for. After the many criticisms pointed towardsDeath Strandingand its strange ideas, Sony may not want to take another gamble in the future and instead stick to what has been proven to resonate with audiences.
Kojima’s Ambitions vs Sony’s Roadmap
Hideo Kojima is by no means an average mind in the terms of approach to video game design. Kojima has been making left field creative decisions ever sinceMetal Gear Solidon the PS1, with infamous moments like the now iconic Psycho Mantis boss fight. While his ideas are often celebrated for being so outside the box, Sony may not be comfortable with a developer that essentially takes risks on huge multi-million dollar game budgets. Because of this, whatever Kojima’s next game was, it was probably just as strange asDeath Stranding, resulting in Sony passing on the project.
Even a more traditional title likeDays Gone, which sticks to the tried and true formula of open world games set in the umpteenth zombie apocalypse setting, proved to be a mixed success as well.Days Gone 2was recently rejected by Sony, marking another example of the studio turning down a game by a respected video game developer.
At the same time, its rumored that aremake ofThe Last ofUsis in active development, a questionable endeavor in the eyes of many fans. Couple this withRatchet and Clank: Rift Apartbeing yet another installment in the long running franchise andDemon’s Soulsreceiving a remake, and it is becoming clear that Sony may want to stick with what’s proven to work, and not so much travel on unproven ground.
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