Death Stranding amazed and confused at the Game Awards with its 10-minute trailer, but Sony execs suggest the clip will actually make sense when you play the game. Speaking at PlayStation Experience, PlayStation Architect Mark Cerny dropped a few cool nuggets of info, courtesy of GameSpot.
No direct quotes are cited by the source, but Cerney has played about five hours of the game and suggested that at least some of that baffling footage will be understandable in the context of the plot. As if that wasn’t enough, project Director Hideo Kojima also said the section of the trailer where Norman Reedus’ character is swimming underwater is actually playable internally at Kojima Productions.
While those statements don’t tell us a whole lot about Death Stranding, they do clear up a few questions fans may have had about the game. For one, it would appear the Game Awards trailer is much more than a symbolic tone piece and actually has something to do with the game that will eventually be on store shelves. If there was any doubt, the tease that Reedus’ character is playable would also seemingly confirm The Walking Dead star may be the protagonist of the experience and not just a Hollywood cameo. In any other case, such basic details wouldn’t have to be explained, but, in the world of Hideo Kojima, it’s sometimes impossible to know what you’re actually getting.
While it’s nice to hear Death Stranding is officially in playable form, fans shouldn’t expect the game to release anytime soon. After all, the project officially decided on its graphics engine choice just one year ago. Couple that with the fact this whole thing is being spearheaded by one of the biggest perfectionists in the games industry, and you’ve got all the hallmark signs of an extended development cycle. Yes, Kojima made allusions to a possible 2018 release at TGS last year, but does anyone actually buy that?
Until we’re able to play it, we can only work from what we’re able to see. So far we’ve witnessed invisible monsters, dudes in hazmat suits and an emphasis on nakedness and rebirth. There are countless theories as to what all of it might mean, but many fans feel it could be a direct commentary on Kojima’s fractured relationship with Konami. He’s now working from a new studio and is in search of new ways to reach players. In that sense, all these strange physical beings on screen just might be a reflection of gamers and the content we enjoy.
Death has been a constant in games, but what happens when it’s stranded between worlds? If that’s the kind of message hiding underneath this insane mess that is Death Stranding, there’s no creator better than Kojima to tackle it.
Death Stranding is in development for PS4.
What do you think of the Death Stranding Game Awards trailer? When do you expect the finished game to be ready? Tell us in the comments section!
