'Death Stranding' (Image: Kojima Production)
Renowned Japanese video game designer, writer, producer and director, Hideo Kojima, explained the obstacles he faced when creating the sequel to his hit game, Death Stranding, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach.
The development of the game began in 2022 when the global COVID-19 pandemic was still at large. Kojima shared the difficulties of creating the game in an Australian interview, “I thought I can’t pull this off. [I can’t] meet people or scan people, or shoot with people. I almost gave up. And also, the staff were all remote, and I became sick as well. I thought it was just the end of the world. I’ve been creating games throughout my career, but Death Stranding 2 was the most difficult challenge.”
The result of endless Zoom calls and remote meetings led Kojima to take a different approach when developing Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. Kojima reflected on how heavily the world relied on the internet and digital world, “We could order things online, we could work online, we could connect via Zoom, or you could go to concerts; they do live concerts on the internet. So the society kind of changed to being very digital.”
The effects of digital culture led Kojima to write Death Stranding 2: On The Beach as a “cautionary tale” about the possible negative impacts of modern technology. At the same time, the sequel continues to carry the core message of the Death Stranding series, emphasizing the importance of human connection and the need to bring people together during tough social or political climates.
Kojima reflected on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think we’re a little stronger,” he said. “If you could use that experience from the game, I want you to maybe use that experience in real life. Not just in your Death Stranding world, but after you go outside, you feel something in your real world every day, and I want you to link what you felt playing the game as well.”
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