Death Stranding’s Surprise Xbox Release Leaves One Huge Question Unanswered

Death Stranding’s Surprise Xbox Release Leaves One Huge Question Unanswered



In a surprising turn of events, Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding: Director’s Cut has shadow-dropped on Xbox Series X/S in honor of the game’s fifth anniversary. Once a Sony-exclusive title, that has now apparently changed, as the Death Stranding IP is now fully in the hands of Kojima Productions. As Hideo Kojima’s first project after leaving Konami, Death Stranding has become notable for its incredibly bizarre story, and Xbox players will now finally get a chance to experience that strangeness.




Now that Death Stranding is available for Xbox users, this seemingly marks the end of an era for Kojima Productions’ deal with Sony. Kojima and his respective studio confirmed that the Death Stranding IP is no longer under the umbrella of Sony, allowing the game to reach a new audience for the first time. This update is exciting enough on its own, but this holds even greater implications for its upcoming sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.

Related
Death Stranding 2’s Latest Confirmed Feature is a Huge Step Toward Accessibility

Hideo Kojima recently shed light on an exciting new feature included in Death Stranding 2 that could prove to be a game-changer.

Kojima Productions Gaining Full Ownership of Death Stranding Could Mean Big Things Ahead For Its Sequel


Death Stranding 2 Could Reach a Broader Audience

If Kojima Productions fully owns the franchise, it only makes sense to assume that this implies Death Stranding 2 could possibly be a day one Xbox launch. The wait leading up to Death Stranding 2 has offered bits and pieces of insight into what Kojima Productions has in store for gamers, and it could very well grow its reach even further now. In the official press release, Kojima states, “Kojima Productions (Death Stranding) will continue to connect more and more players around the world, so please stay tuned.”

His emphasis on connecting players around the world could simply be a fun nod to Death Stranding‘s basic premise of connecting the surviving world via the Chiral Network. However, this could also be a hint at the post-apocalyptic franchise growing with its sequel, as well. The press release from Kojima Productions adds even more weight to this possibility by stating, “Kojima Productions will continue its focus on bringing their award-winning IP, Death Stranding, to more platforms and audiences.” With this official statement, Death Stranding 2 being an Xbox day one release is not far out of the realm of possibility.


Death Stranding
was added to PC Game Pass back in 2022.

Xbox is a Land of Opportunity For Death Stranding 2

Because of Kojima’s knack for incredibly strange and absurdly imaginative concepts, Death Stranding doesn’t exactly have the same reach as fellow big-name titles. The bizarre ideas of Death Stranding can easily turn some away, but bringing the franchise into the Xbox sphere can open doors for those who have been long-interested in exploring Kojima’s beautifully weird world. As the premiere title for Kojima Productions, Death Stranding ups the ante with Kojima’s wild ideas, and bringing that to more gamers who are interested in unorthodox stories will only be a positive for the IP.

Kojima Productions (
Death Stranding
) will continue to connect more and more players around the world, so please stay tuned.


More Death Stranding 2 News is Hopefully on the Horizon

Kojima’s Teased Release Date

At this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Kojima confirmed that a Death Stranding 2 release date has been locked in, but “unforeseen circumstances” kept him from officially announcing it. Looking back, it makes one wonder if this “unforeseen circumstance” was due to the secretive transfer of power between Sony and Kojima Productions. It’s possible that Kojima chose to wait to announce a release date in order to confirm a launch for both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S. Of course, this is just a theory, but the timing would make sense.

Kojima Productions’ other in-development projects include
OD
and
Physint
.


As the year wraps up, there will hopefully be another update regarding Death Stranding 2‘s release plans. Much of the game still remains in the shadows, but this unexpected Xbox launch is an exciting development.

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