Kojima Productions has a lot in store for fans in the years ahead. And Hideo Kojima, joined by his friends across film and games, took a moment this week to fill everyone in on the developer’s many gestating projects.
This week, Kojima celebrated 10 years since going independent with a special “Beyond the Strand” livestream. In it, we finally got some updates on projects like the studio’s Xbox and Jordan Peele horror collaboration OD, the Metal Gear spiritual successor Physint, and a handful of projects expanding on the weird and captivating world of Death Stranding.
It's great to see more of OD. Its trailer reveals it will be more than a make-good on the Silent Hills we never got after P.T., but an entirely new scenario that’s just as bone-chilling. We also got a stylish poster for Physint, and the announcement that actors Mary Jabassa (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Don Lee (Eternals), and Minami Hamabe (Godzilla Minus One) will join the game’s cast.
Of everything shown, however, I found the Death Stranding update the most captivating.
For one, we got a minor reveal on the upcoming Death Stranding film. While it was previously reported that the film would be more than a straight adaptation, the film’s writer and director, Michael Sarnoski (Pig, A Quiet Place: Day One), drove this point home. He was careful to say that he was “playing in the sandbox” of Death Stranding, rather than making a connected follow-up to the fiction we have so far.
“We’re trying to find another story that you’ve never seen in this same universe that is both accessible to people who have never played the games before, but will also give something to people that know the games really well,” Sarnoski said. “Finding that balance, and finding a way to tell a human story in this world that captures everything that we love about it, as well as being able to stand on its own two feet, is really the goal.”
That’s the smartest thing this adaptation could do. Trying to replicate a story made to unravel over a 60-hour playthrough would’ve been a fool’s errand, and pulling in characters like Sam “Porter” Bridges and Fragile into a film for the sake of familiarity would have been hamfisted. It’s not to say these characters can’t show up, but it’s clear that Sarnoski and Kojima are most focused on expanding the Death Stranding universe rather than retrodding old ground. It’s something I hope other game-to-movie productions, like Netflix’s BioShock, take heed of.
Speaking of adaptations, the trailer for the Death Stranding animated film, codenamed Mosquito, looks stunning. Its detailed art and choreography are my main takeaways, as it shows two unknown characters having a full-on high-drama fistfight that wouldn’t seem out of place in a shonen anime like Dragon Ball Z. It’s cool to see the movie go for broke, escalating the action we’re used to in the games without feeling out of place. Mosquito is directed by Hiroshi Miyamoto (Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero) and written by Raised by Wolves writer Aaron Guzikowski.
The most surprising announcement from Kojima’s show was the upcoming augmented reality collaboration with Pokémon Go creator Niantic. The developer is sharing its technology with Kojima Productions to make some sort of Death Stranding experience.
“I can't really speak about details yet, but if you're climbing a mountain, there’s still entertainment there,” Kojima said. “It's like the real Death Stranding in the real world, and you can connect with people, or you can connect with the actual environment there in your city.”
Based on Niantic’s previous work, I would assume this is a smartphone game that translates Death Stranding’s on-foot traversal, exploration, and social media-like elements to a real-life platform, presumably without all the packages to lug around. Kojima’s series may not be anywhere near as popular as Pokémon, but I believe there’s still serious potential here.
The excellent Death Stranding 2 concluded the story of Sam Bridges and his team, but it’s clear there are still plenty of stories to tell about their surreal post-apocalyptic world. And of all the games Kojima Productions has coming in the distant future, I find it easiest to be hyped about watching the developer grow its most recognizable franchise.
