Hideo Kojima has claimed that audience test reviews show that players are feeling far more positive about Death Stranding 2: On the Beach than they did about the original game.
However, the creator says this puts him in a conflicting situation, since he’s not motivated by “making something that appeals to everyone”.
The original Death Stranding, which has players delivering packages across a serene landscape, was one of the most polarising blockbuster games in recent memory, with critic scores ranging from perfect tens, to fours out of tens. With On the Beach, Kojima Productions says it’s created a more action-oriented sequel, which should appeal to a broader range of players.
Speaking in the latest issue of Edge Magazine, which is on sale now, Kojima claimed On the Beach is scoring much higher with test audiences. He said Sony is pleased with the On the Beach test reviews so far, but admitted that he wished the sequel were a bit more controversial with audiences.
“I do listen to criticism, if the controls need tweaking or if a camera pan is too slow or too fast. But I don’t alter themes or story based on feedback,” Kojima said. “Of course, I want people to play my game, so I must listen to them to a certain extent. But also, I’m not interested in making something that appeals to everyone.”
Asked about audience review testing and how much he pays attention to it, Kojima replied: “In fact, I did a lot of monitoring tests for the original Death Stranding. I’d find that four out of ten people would love the game, but six would say it was a terrible game. For me, I think that’s a good balance. But with the playtests for Death Standing 2: On the Beach, everyone seems to be positive.”
He added: “Sony is pleased, of course, but I do wish I was a bit more controversial. Blockbuster films need an 80 percent approval rating – I don’t want to make games like that. I’m not interested in appealing to the mass market, or selling millions of copies… That’s not what I’m aiming for.”
Kojima laughed: “Of course, I can’t afford to make a failure, either. I must take care of my studio, my staff, and our production budget. But in essence, I don’t want to simply recreate something that’s already in the world. I want to make something new.”
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will release for PlayStation 5 on June 26.
VGC recently travelled to Kojima Productions in Tokyo, Japan, for an extensive Death Stranding 2 preview and interviews with the game’s development team.
“As I sniped a guard from a watch tower, equipped a silenced rifle, and planned a sneaky infiltration into an enemy base to extract a prisoner, it was impossible to escape the thought that ‘oh wow, this really does feel like Metal Gear’,” we wrote.
“Instead of running from Mules with their electric sticks, you’re frequently blasting through them with a shotgun or grenade launcher. And rather than awkwardly stumbling across a rocky ravine, dropping packages as you go, more often I was cruising in my tricked-out vehicle with two automatic turrets blasting anyone who dared impede my delivery.”
