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PS Blog: Hideo Kojima Death Stranding interview: Strands, Decima and Guerrilla

KoopaTheCasual

Junior Member
Love that Kojima is de-emphasizing guns as the primary method of combat. I was worried this would be your standard boring shoot-bang with automatic weapons. I wonder if the "strands" are like "stands" or some other other-worldly superpower.

Side note for above derailment: Doesn't trademark mean ownership???
 
Damn GG handing the source code is like so amazing to hear. Love the Dejima reference, can't wait to hear more about Death Stranding. We are in for a treat, maybe 2018 release?
 

Kaako

Felium Defensor
I fucking love everything about their collaboration with Guerrilla Games! It makes me happy and hopeful for the engine as well as their project(s) going forward.
 
Yeah! I'm thinking either Emma Stone or Alicia Vikander, as he's been raving about those two.

I'm about to self-split, atomically. The image above has the actress in a mirror and is kind of blurry. I'm trying to see if I can match Emma's jaw line/cheeks to the blurry photo in earnest.

I expect Joosten to return as a supporting character of some sort. The Lionsgate cap was the equivalent of Mads' Nike hoodie, Kojima is teasing a Hollywood actress, for sure. As for Durand and Idris, I believe Durand is a lock. He's said he's wanted to work with Kojima, and Kojima is a huge fan of his work, so it's very likely. Idris would be too good to be true. He's my favorite actor, bar none.



Gonna get to the bottom of this as quickly as the community did Mads! :D

Let us put some emphasis on your comment, friend.
CoAPntvUMAA3zcX.jpg
 
Or it could just be Joosten again.

I think the next trailer will reveal the female character and another actor (Kevin Durand or Idris Elba seem the most likely).

I expect Joosten to return as a supporting character of some sort. The Lionsgate cap was the equivalent of Mads' Nike hoodie, Kojima is teasing a Hollywood actress, for sure. As for Durand and Idris, I believe Durand is a lock. He's said he's wanted to work with Kojima, and Kojima is a huge fan of his work, so it's very likely. Idris would be too good to be true. He's my favorite actor, bar none.

I'm about to self-split, atomically. The image above has the actress in a mirror and is kind of blurry. I'm trying to see if I can match Emma's jaw line/cheeks to the blurry photo in earnest.

Gonna get to the bottom of this as quickly as the community did Mads! :D
 

Ratrat

Member
For what he's billing as a new kind of action game, the gameplay sounds really similar to MGSV right now.
Well, except the online elements and the 'strand' gunless gameplay, whatever that is.
MGSV proved to me he doesn't understand open world game design. I don't have faith in this game at all.
Its clear you don't get the game.
Regardless, Sony will let Kojima finish the game and Im excited to see something new.
 

AndyVirus

Member
If not a live onstage demo ala god of war, I hope e see gameplay of this game at E3 this year

I'd rather they went away until E3 2018 and not overexpose the thing. If it's at E3 this year, it's feasible it'll be seen at FOUR E3s which is ridiculous.
 

jmga

Member
So people really think that if they had killed the PC version, they wouldn't have told everywhere and everyone with big letters adding a lot of value to their platform, instead they have silently killed it because reasons.
 

Icolin

Banned
I expect Joosten to return as a supporting character of some sort. The Lionsgate cap was the equivalent of Mads' Nike hoodie, Kojima is teasing a Hollywood actress, for sure. As for Durand and Idris, I believe Durand is a lock. He's said he's wanted to work with Kojima, and Kojima is a huge fan of his work, so it's very likely. Idris would be too good to be true. He's my favorite actor, bar none.

Durand has connections with Del Toro (via The Strain), so there's that too. Perhaps Del Toro helped set them up, similar to Nicolas Winding Refn setting up Mads with Kojima.

Technically Idris also has connections with Del Toro (via Pacific Rim), but that one seems unlikely. Would love to be wrong, though.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
For what he's billing as a new kind of action game, the gameplay sounds really similar to MGSV right now.

Nah, the similarities end at open world sandbox. He's been talking about incorporating 'rope' mechanics that let a player interact with the world in more than just a binary way we are used to right now.
 

Shari

Member
So, you're in a thread basically masking an insult to the lot that actually have enthusiasm for the topic.

While people are actually trying to discuss things, you just want to put them down?

Holier than thou?

Making an insult lol. Please relax.

People were praising on first page and did a 180 on the second page to be able to protect their brand. I find the change of pace of the thread and the behavioral incoherences amusing, sorry it hurts you.

The pic is awesome, so nice Cerny was able to take a 6 months sabbatical just to help a friend.
 

and how does that disprove my point? Sony can own a ip and still bring the game on PC, thats their decision.
and the same can happen with Death Stranding (maybe that was Kojimas condition)


i don't see why Sony should fund a 50-100 mio AAA Project + the Publishing + offering their own Engine, if they don't get control over the IP (given their history)

i mean i wouldn't be surprised if Sony/Japan Studio even helps out with the development since Kojimas Team is way too small for such an project
 

Kaizer

Banned
The part where he talks about how the partnership with Guerrilla Games came to be is awesome, really can't wait to see how that Decima Engine develops!
 
Durand has connections with Del Toro (via The Strain), so there's that too. Perhaps Del Toro helped set them up, similar to Nicolas Winding Refn setting up Mads with Kojima.

Technically Idris also has connections with Del Toro (via Pacific Rim), but that one seems unlikely. Would love to be wrong, though.

Definitely. Idris and Kojima met up recently, so it's hard to say. I'm not gonna hold my breath for that one, but it would be an unprecedented get, as far as I'm concerned.
 
Console exclusive.

It's been seen time and again how these labels mean nothing. Certain games labeled 'only on Playstation' were announced for PC prior to launch, while others labeled 'console exclusive' have yet to be announced for another platform, even after release.

So people really think that if they had killed the PC version, they wouldn't have told everywhere and everyone with big letters adding a lot of value to their platform, instead they have silently killed it because reasons.

It's because of SIE's deeper than previously expected involvement that people think this way.
 
So the engine is not really Horizon's engine anymore, it's a new custom engine that is based on it and it was made by both GG and Kojipro right?

Sounds VERY promising to say the least, both very high quality devs technically wise.

No, this is Guerrilla's engine through and through, but from now on it will be developed by both Guerrilla and KojiPro.

Because It is on PC.

But if you believe that much in trademark then Heavy Rain is Quantic Dream's IP.

And why Sony even having the trademark of DEATH STRANDING said it is console exclusive: https://www.sie.com/en/corporate/release/2016/160614a.html

Heavy Rain could be; I'm not sure. I seem to recall trademark smallprint in trailers before release indicating it was QD's as opposed to Sony's - appears to belong to QD according to the IPO.

As for Sony referencing it as 'console exclusive', it appeared to be coming to PS4 and PC initially, but word has since gone very quiet on the PC release. Regardless, even if it was coming to PC that has nothing to do with whether Sony owns the trademark or not. The own Helldivers too, but that came to PC.

Lastly, the IPO also lists Death Stranding as a Sony trademark.
 
GG just handing him the source code for the engine and asking him to work on it with them really warmed my heart 😂 good on them for that. Kojima and his team must be really happy with there new environment after leaving Konami, I can't wait to see what this produces.
 
Making an insult lol. Please relax.

People were praising on first page and did a 180 on the second page to be able to protect their brand. I find the change of pace of the thread and the behavioral incoherences amusing, sorry it hurts you.

The pic is awesome, so nice Cerny was able to take a 6 months sabbatical just to help a friend.

Well, people are going back and forth over whether or not the game will make it to PC. The thread is headed towards derailment with that kind of talk.

I am genuinely interested in every facet of this game, which would explain why I am posting so much in the thread. Having like minded people to talk about it with is icing on an already stellar proverbial cake.
 
I'd rather they went away until E3 2018 and not overexpose the thing. If it's at E3 this year, it's feasible it'll be seen at FOUR E3s which is ridiculous.

Totally agree with this. Leave it for this year and come back at E3 2018 with a substantial gameplay demo, a blowout of info and hopefully a release window.
 

jmga

Member
It's because of Sony's deeper than previously expected involvement that people think this way.

Sony was the producer and owner of the IP since the beginning when it was announced for PC, so it is obviously part of the agreement and they would have no reason to remain silent about the exclusivity if the deal changed.
 

Drackhorn

Member
I really like that they called the engine Decima after Dejima. A very interesting historic time and place in Japanese-Dutch history.
 
Guerrilla's tech director is actually in Japan right now (along with a few other GG members) visiting KojiPro

c5vioxdukaazcub22ry8.jpg


He's the guy in the KojiPro shirt. During IGN's interview Hermen Hulst mentioned that he (GG's tech director) sees eye to eye with KojiPro's. KojiPro's tech director, for those unaware, is the same guy that was one of the graphics tech directors on the Fox Engine.
 
I'd rather they went away until E3 2018 and not overexpose the thing. If it's at E3 this year, it's feasible it'll be seen at FOUR E3s which is ridiculous.
This is what should happen

What will actually happen is another teaser at E3 showing off whatever actress is in that pic on the last page, followed by an extended trailer showing introducing the characters and story at PSX maybe with some gameplay a-la sins of the father, THEN a gameplay demo at E3 2018
 
I'd rather they went away until E3 2018 and not overexpose the thing. If it's at E3 this year, it's feasible it'll be seen at FOUR E3s which is ridiculous.

Would be nice and I would like that. But I can understand if you got Kojima on board, you probably wanna shout from the rooftops about it.
 
This is what should happen

What will actually happen is another teaser at E3 showing off whatever actress is in that pic on the last page, followed by an extended trailer showing introducing the characters and story at PSX maybe with some gameplay a-la sins of the father, THEN a gameplay demo at E3 2018

I have a feeling this one is going to get done a lot more quickly than people are anticipating. He says he's aiming for before/around 2019. I believe he can get it done. He used to crank games out relatively quickly, even if not as fast as other studios. These games are always crafted with love and care, even if he's initially opposed to the project, as was the case with some later Metal Gear titles, he still gives his best. I expect nothing less here.
 

Icolin

Banned
This is what should happen

What will actually happen is another teaser at E3 showing off whatever actress is in that pic on the last page, followed by an extended trailer showing introducing the characters and story at PSX maybe with some gameplay a-la sins of the father, THEN a gameplay demo at E3 2018

I'd be fine with this. The numerous pre-release trailers and rampant speculation are an integral part of what sets Kojima's games apart in my opinion.
 
We have heard about the ‘Strands' concept that is being introduced for this game, what does this mean, exactly?

Concerning the ‘Strands', this is my 31st year in the games industry and I've been deep in action games across that time. In action games, generally, the player has a gun and plays against enemies in a single player environment – or they take it online and play against other players in a competitive environment. They join in together with guns – [laughs] it's almost always with guns – to take down a stronger opponent. In this game you can do that but I wanted to go a little deeper beyond that with something that doesn't focus on a weapon like a gun and that's what has a connection to the strand concept.

It has also been said that Death Stranding will feature a new type of online play, differing from the traditional. Can you tell us more about this type of gameplay?

Again, this is something that we can't say a lot about at the moment but if you want to play the game stand-alone, without an online component, that's perfectly fine. We do have an online component and, again, it's different as there will be something different versus what most people expect from an online game. A lot of games have a ‘campaign mode' and once you're done with that you take it to the online mode. This game is not that kind of structure.

Trying to extract some meaning from these hints, I'm imagining something a little like MGS5 meets Destiny.
Open world with more gameplay options beyond just guns and a non-traditional online aspect that blurs the line between campaign and multiplayer.

Also that play from Guerrilla was amazing. No wonder they impressed Kojima. And considering what I'm seeing from Horizon, it was the right choice.

The 'strands' aspect being mentioned with online sounds to me like it will have Soulslike aspects to it. As in there's a parallel world for each player but you can communicate and share across the boundaries. Mingleplayer.

That's a good guess too.
 
I say we replace naughty dog as best first party studio for GG who's with me!!!

*Crickets

Joking aside I do wonder if Sony are in talks to simply absorb Kojima productions into being a first party
I don't think Hideo wants that, he might want to make a movie later, or just have the option of leaving. Even if he's with Sony for the next 20 years, he will likely do it on contract by contract basis.

GG is slowly rising up the best of WWS talk at PlayStation. What's great about the competition, is it should level up everyone's game.

The team at PD, Sucker Punch, ND, Bend, and Santa Monica are all seeing the praise for Horizon and the spotlight shift to the this studio and the Decima engine. They are all going to try and out do each other, and that should mean super high quality games for us. TLOU did something really special on PS3, I don't think Shu is going to let something come out of WWS ever again with a weak unpolished story and top notch presentation.

I dunno where they are gonna end up review wise, but from Spider-Man all the way to Death Stranding, I'm predicting zero duds, it's going to be incredible.
 

Wollan

Member
The 'strands' aspect being mentioned with online sounds to me like it will have Soulslike aspects to it. As in there's a parallel world for each player but you can communicate and share across the boundaries. Mingleplayer.
 

Kindekuma

Banned
We’re still running tests on the game, but we have made it to the stage where we have the framework worked out. This year is all about hardcore production and development, so please look forward to the fruits of our labor further down the road.

Cool! So I imagine the next trailer at E3 will be like the current 2. I don't expect any major gameplay demonstrations until next year when a majority of the assets are made and the system and AI is being polished.
 
Came for details about Death Stranding and the collaboration with Guerrilla, got people getting all crazy about not wanting a PC version and a guy getting a little too angry about some no strings attached narrative.

Iirc there was a FAQ posted that said that a PC version would be available later after the initial launch but that got took down. I assume a PC version will happen unless otherwise noted by Kojima Productions or Sony.

But it really sucks that Death Stranding threads tend to derail with exclusive talk. I'm far more interested about the game itself.
 

Kindekuma

Banned
Came for details about Death Stranding and the collaboration with Guerrilla, got people getting all crazy about not wanting a PC version and a guy getting a little too angry about some no strings attached narrative.

Iirc there was a FAQ posted that said that a PC version would be available later after the initial launch but that got took down. I assume a PC version will happen unless otherwise noted by Kojima Productions or Sony.

But it really sucks that Death Stranding threads tend to derail with exclusive talk. I'm far more interested about the game itself.

With the whole fiasco regarding NieR and it's PC release, as well as Crash Remaster just now being announced as a timed exclusive it's pretty safe to say the acknowledgement and details of a PC release will be buried for a long, long time.
 

LewieP

Member
But it really sucks that Death Stranding threads tend to derail with exclusive talk. I'm far more interested about the game itself.

It's hardly derailing. Using a Sony engine suggests that the chances of the PC version being cancelled are somewhat higher.

People are interested in whether or not the PC version has been cancelled because they are interested in the game too.
 
I have a feeling this one is going to get done a lot more quickly than people are anticipating. He says he's aiming for before/around 2019. I believe he can get it done. He used to crank games out relatively quickly, even if not as fast as other studios. These games are always crafted with love and care, even if he's initially opposed to the project, as was the case with some later Metal Gear titles, he still gives his best. I expect nothing less here.
2019 is still my bet, 2018 just seems too soon for a game this huge and ambitious, especially if it just entered full production this year. I definitely don't see it being a ps5 game like some think
I'd be fine with this. The numerous pre-release trailers and rampant speculation are an integral part of what sets Kojima's games apart in my opinion.
I wouldn't mind either, but I see why people get frustrated with it
 
Can't wait for whatever crazy nonsense will come from this. Very cool to see the collaborative effort with the engine too. I hope that pays dividends for plenty of future games.
 
I'm trying to imagine what the game will be like. On 1 hand, you can still play it like a shooter that you're familiar so the game will definitely have enemies for you to shoot and defeat with but Kojima want to also provide another way if you don't want to play it like that.

Here's my guess of what the game will be. In MGS games, Kojima made a point to allow a no kill run if you want, but to be able to do that, he had to provide you with various non lethal weapons like Tranq gun which function very similarly with just a normal pistol so it didn't really change the way you play that drastically.

I think for DS, Kojima want to make an action game where you can play through the whole game without using guns at all. The goal will probably still on stealth and sneaking. But if you actually try to make a stealth game where you can complete without guns at all, that'd be a very unique kind of action game.

The way I imagine it can be done is to increase interactivity with the environmemt. There will be a lot of item you can take or interact with the environment, and it will be like a puzzle game for you to solve how to sneak through a level without shooting someone.

You have to be like McGuyver and use everyday item you find in the level to accomplish your goal.
 

Wollan

Member
Really like Kojima's answer here:
Has the idea for Death Stranding always been there, or is it something that has blossomed very quickly and developed based on the new collaboration with Sony Interactive Entertainment?

...

Sometimes people have an idea from when they were a child, and they'll turn that into a game when they're an adult, but I don't think that's the way to approach the subject because every day our lives change. Society changes every day, and we need to make something that is topical and something that is in-line with the world that we live in now.
People often times cling to ideas they formed a long time ago a bit too much. Better to develop something fresh from your current personality and experiences. MGS4 in all its craziness actually seemed somewhat prescient with it's focus on the dangers surrounding PMC's and it becoming a huge news topic just when the game released.
 
This is really the best possible outcome...I am really interested to see what they can come up with. Very cool about the Guerilla collaboration. Not surprised he chose the Horizon engine now that the game has been fully revealed. That level of detail in an open world is setting a new standard.
 

Pif

Banned
Nah, the similarities end at open world sandbox. He's been talking about incorporating 'rope' mechanics that let a player interact with the world in more than just a binary way we are used to right now.

I hope there is a lot of physics going around.
 
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