With the June 26 release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach inching ever closer, director Hideo Kojima has revealed that test reviews for the game have been fairly positive. Speaking to Edge Magazine (via VGC), Kojima said that audience test reviews for the upcoming game had been even more positive than what he saw for the original Death Stranding.
Kojima also spoke about how he makes use of feedback from playtests, saying that, while he does take heed of feedback about mechanical aspects of the a like camera controls, he doesn’t alter stories or themes of games to make them more appealing to everyone.
“I do listen to criticism, if the controls need tweaking or if a camera pan is too slow or too fast. But I don’t alter themes or story based on feedback,” Kojima said. “Of course, I want people to play my game, so I must listen to them to a certain extent. But also, I’m not interested in making something that appeals to everyone.”
He also spoke about what he considers to be a success in terms of reception from a test audience, doubling down on the fact that he is not interested in appealing to just about everyone. Kojima considers 4 out of 10 players liking the game as being “a good balance.” He also wishes that his work was considered at least “a bit more controversial,” because he doesn’t want to make games like blockbuster movies.
“In fact, I did a lot of monitoring tests for the original Death Stranding. I’d find that four out of ten people would love the game, but six would say it was a terrible game. For me, I think that’s a good balance. But with the playtests for Death Standing 2: On the Beach, everyone seems to be positive.”
“Sony is pleased, of course, but I do wish I was a bit more controversial. Blockbuster films need an 80 percent approval rating – I don’t want to make games like that. I’m not interested in appealing to the mass market, or selling millions of copies… That’s not what I’m aiming for.”
Kojima also notes that he can’t just release a game that no one would like either, since ultimately, he does have to take care of the business aspects of making games like running his studio and paying his staff. “Of course, I can’t afford to make a failure, either,” he said. “I must take care of my studio, my staff, and our production budget. But in essence, I don’t want to simply recreate something that’s already in the world. I want to make something new.”
As Kojima Productions gets ready for the PS5-exclusive release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the company also recently announced that it would be going on tour to 12 different cities from all over the world to celebrate the launch. The tour, kicking off on June 8 in Los Angeles, will continue until November, ending in Lucca. In the meantime, check out what Kojima had to say about adding a day/night cycle to Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
