Death Stranding is an incredibly strange game: according to Kojima it is part of the ‘strand game’ genre, but according to Kojima, that genre includes supernatural phenomenon, the wilderness, social networking, and item delivery. Maybe the genre sounds so strange because it’s a new one that Kojima is trying to solidify himself. According to the mastermind behind a plethora of uniquely interesting games, he is interested in really establishing a foothold for this genre he’s created, and the way he is looking to do that includes a Death Stranding sequel. However, it’s worth noting that this is just something he’s thinking about, and he said himself that he isn’t sure how he’d go about it or if it would really be feasible.
When asked about the odds of Death Stranding becoming a series rather than a standalone game, Kojima laid his thoughts out plainly.
“I’m not really sure. The most difficult part is, when you create something new, you have to create a sequel and then a third version or it will not remain as a genre. When this game comes out there will be a lot of pros and cons, and these elements could become the essence of the core part, but I think it’s better that I keep it going in a sequel. Yeah, probably at least 1.5, and then 2, maybe, at least so that it remains and people are aware of the genre. There are a lot of other projects that come up like TV dramas and things like that. A lot of pitches come my way … Why I can’t say it’s definite is because I only have one body, and there are many projects that I have to be involved with. And it’s really tough for me physically to do many things at once.”
While it’s always nice for someone to follow their passions, it behooves us to remember the very confusing timeline of the Metal Gear franchise, of which Kojima did most of the plot writing. As successful as the franchise is, it’s become an extremely confusing mess in regards to canon, rivaling or maybe even surpassing other notorious franchises like Kingdom Hearts.
Point being, Death Stranding is already a very strange and peculiar game, and if Kojima does decide to take the next few steps and turn it into a series, it will undoubtedly become an extremely confusing ordeal. But hey, for some of us the lore you need to draw a physical time line for is actually the best part of a series.
