From the very moment we joined Sam and Lou on an adventure that was bigger and better than its sequel, we knew we were in for a very special kind of treat. Death Stranding 2 wasn’t our pick for Game of the Year 2025 by accident. It was a game whose strange premise and slow-burn gameplay loop were guided along by Kojima’s uncompromising vision for the adventure he wanted to take us on. The result was a title that was breathtaking to behold and quite addictive to play.
We know that there are two million of you out there who agree that it was an experience like no other, and that’s no mean feat when you consider a bevy of great games last year. And that’s precisely why we think that it’s worth talking about. Death Stranding has always been a franchise that’s had the distinction of being one that has big names, actors, an astronomical budget, visual splendor, and the benefit of being a PlayStation exclusive. You’d think those sales numbers could, and perhaps should, be bigger.
But the reality is that it’s feeling like a niche hit with a massive fan base as opposed to the more universally appealing PlayStation mega franchises that we’ve come to know and love. We’re sure you’re curious about why that’s the case, so let’s get right to it.
The Numbers Tell Stories
Let’s break down those rather modest sales numbers first. Death Stranding 2 reportedly passed the 2 million mark after it launched on the PC, with 425,000 copies sold on Steam and another estimated 1.6 million of them moving via the PS5. For many games, those are numbers that the developers behind them would be smiling about.
But this is Hideo Kojima we’re talking about, and a game that had Sony, Norman Reedus, Lea Seydoux, and Elle Fanning in its cast. Moreover, the production values on it screamed of a premium experience, a sentiment echoed by the game’s marketing. The numbers feel more modest than anyone would expect, considering those factors.
Of course, Death Stranding 2 was indeed a premium game, and was one that can’t easily be imitated by another studio. It was also highly anticipated, with Sam Porter’s adventures in the first game allowing the sequel to command a very attentive audience ever since the curtain was lifted on it. But somehow, it feels like the discourse around it may have pushed the ceiling it was supposed to hit too high for its own good.
Too Big For Its Boots
Why do we say that? Well, Death Stranding 2 is a game that’s always felt like one whose scope extended far beyond the world it tries to get you invested in. It’s one whose name echoes in every corner of the gaming world, and is one that invites opinions even from people who haven’t really played it.
Its trailers often become trends on their own, its weirdness has been the source of many hilarious memes, moments from its gameplay are often cited as ones that stay with you long after you’re done playing it, and Kojima’s iconic presence gave every reveal made throughout its marketing campaign an aura of importance that often transcends what other games are evaluated on.
But cultural significance doesn’t necessarily translate to mainstream adoption. A game can get famous even if it hasn’t been played by a significant majority of gamers, and Death Stranding is arguably the best example of that. It might be talked about quite often, but does that mean it has the mass appeal of Sony’s other franchises?
Look at Spider-Man, for instance. That was a franchise that carried prestige alongside the appeal of playing as a superhero, which we’ve known for most of our time engaging with popular culture. Ghost of Tsushima carried the Sucker Punch label and the appeal of a samurai fantasy, along with a story that was instantly captivating. The Last of Us was an excellent game whose story catapulted it to fame, while the TV show immediately boosted its accessibility.
Death Stranding carried a fair bit of prestige too, with Kojima’s pedigree often announcing it as a title to watch out for, but it was a title that demanded patience, diligence, and a lot of willingness to contend with friction in its gameplay loop. It’s a great concept and a solid game, but it wasn’t for everyone. And that difference matters.
Kojima’s name isn’t a cheat code for automatic success, after all. He’s an icon whose very presence can help sell a project, creating anticipation, trust, and a fair bit of attention for anything he touches. But Death Stranding is evidence that the Kojima brand isn’t enough to make a concept as strange as the one it offers a mainstream success.
Yes, it can help with getting people to talk about the game, and perhaps even watch a few trailers. It can get critics and fans to treat a launch like a culturally significant event, a milestone of sorts. But dive into the gameplay loop, and you see a finished product that’s deliberate and slow.
And that could cause many players to admire it from a distance instead of actually engaging with it and discovering how emotionally dense and layered what it’s offering can be.
Praised, But Not Adored
You might be wondering why we picked this one as our Game of the Year, given all that we’ve been saying about it here. A game’s quality isn’t necessarily tied to its commercial scale, and that’s a bit of nuance that’s often overlooked. That’s especially true when it’s quite hard to accurately point to what makes a game special, and in one that’s as unusual and demanding as DS2, that becomes especially relevant.
It’s a game that comes with barriers, challenging you to overcome them by showing the same resilience that its protagonists demonstrate. DS2 might have been polished, beautiful, very emotionally resonant, and extremely ambitious, but it still had its limitations. It was a sequel to an already divisive first outing, while its core fantasy doesn’t carry the immediate appeal of a samurai or superhero.
The story could seem too philosophical to players who want something more straightforward, and the same can be said for its gameplay loop, which comes with an appeal that only the most discerning of players could grow to love. These so-called “flaws” are what make it as special as it is and are a part of its identity. But they could also limit how appealing it can be to someone who doesn’t grasp the vision it brings to the table.
It’s also important to consider that the first game had a very long time to accumulate massive sales. The original game managed five million copies across the PS4 and PC by March 2021, but there were several factors at play. They include a longer post-release window, a lot of conversation (and we mean a lot!), and had multiple discounts, a re-release, access via subscriptions, and of course, the game’s PC debut working its favor.
Doesn’t DS2 deserve a similar window before its commercial viability is analysed? We’d agree, as its launch momentum isn’t a final indicator of its mass appeal. But that only serves to strengthen our argument that this one’s a game that slowly draws players in through word of mouth, curiosity, discounts, a presence on PC, and, of course, its cultural staying power.
It may not be a mainstream blockbuster franchise, but it does have value as a long-term prestige play. And that’s where Sony comes in.
A Prestige Problem
If you think about Sony’s wider strategy for PlayStation, the brand has built a reputation around polished, cinematic experiences that are presented as premium single-player titles. It’s a strategy that’s paid dividends in the past and recent present, and will probably continue to do so in the near future.
DS2 stands out in that regard, though. It’s a prestige project to be sure, but it’s one that doesn’t come with a broadly accepted fantasy, the appeal of a familiar genre, or mass-market characters. It does carry a unique, auteur-driven identity that lets it stand out from other titles that fall into one or more of the other categories, though.
That doesn’t rule out its chances of achieving commercial success on the level of those titles over the course of its shelf life, and it’s not a bad investment despite not having the same commercial ceiling. It does, however, cement PlayStation as a home for ambitious creators who come with a vision for something that hasn’t been done before.
It’s proof that its unique form of prestige might not be as commercially well-performing, and it proves that not every critically acclaimed game is going to be a tentpole for the PlayStation brand, even if it’s one that became an internet sensation and a source of a lot of discussion around it. The intensity of its online presence seems to have distorted expectations around its scope and scale, in a way that has made it seem like it should have sold more than it has, despite the actual game being attractive to a relatively narrow buying audience.
But that still isn’t bad news for Kojima Productions, as a successful cult game is probably the best thing to happen for the studio. It has never needed to chase the largest possible audience it can get, but has definitely shown the intent to be a studio that makes games nobody else can make.
DS2’s devoted audience, and its rare creative identity courtesy of its makers, are factors that are more crucial in the examination of its overall success. Its sales numbers pale in significance to its avoidance of trying to be a mainstream blockbuster. It never tried to be one, and we think that it’s high time the industry and the game’s fans acknowledge that facet of its existence.
From that perspective, DS2 is a reality check, and should be seen that way as opposed to thinking about it as a disappointment. It isn’t Spider-Man, or Horizon Forbidden West, and that’s the point. It’s a title that has all the makings of a blockbuster, but one that is a lot more specific and focused on a vision that’s decidedly stranger and more fragile.
It’s what has made it sell like a successful cult game, and is certainly what it was always meant to be.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organizatio
