As a gaming enthusiast eagerly anticipating Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, it’s no secret that Hideo Kojima, its visionary director, aims to push boundaries and stir up conversation with this upcoming title. In an engaging chat with Rolling Stone, one of the game’s musical contributors, Yoann “Woodkid” Lemoine, has spilled some intriguing beans. It appears that Kojima himself tweaked the game’s narrative once, all thanks to play testers who were captivated by early versions of the game.
On the Beach, prompting him to introduce changes midway through its development process.
In the course of our game, there was a crucial point during our conversation, likely around the midway mark, where he approached me and mentioned, “There seems to be an issue.” According to Lemoine.
Afterward, he expressed, “To be entirely open, our test players are loving the game excessively. This suggests a problem; we need to alter something.” So, he modified parts of the script and crucial events within the game because he felt his work wasn’t stirring strong enough reactions or creating sufficient polarization.
According to Lemoine, Kojima emphasizes that he doesn’t want “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” to be a typical game that blends into the memories of players because it seems familiar, instead he refers to it as being “already liked by people due to prior exposure”. Instead, Kojima is more focused on providing unique, fresh experiences for the players that they haven’t encountered before.
Lemoine stated, ‘If everyone enjoys it, it’s become mainstream – ordinary, predictable. I don’t want something that’s instantly appealing. I prefer people to dislike something at first, then grow to love it. That’s when true affection develops.’ This insight was particularly meaningful for him; creating work not to please others, but to challenge and move them instead.
Earlier this month, I, as a die-hard fan, heard Kojima share some exciting news about our beloved game receiving thumbs up from internal reviews. He further delved into his unique approach to feedback, mentioning that while he values constructive criticism, particularly in terms of gameplay mechanics, he’s not fond of altering the narrative to cater to players’ tastes. Instead, he expressed a preference for having 4 out of every 10 players enjoying the game, considering this a “healthy balance.
He shared that he conducted numerous tests to evaluate the original “Death Stranding.” He found that about four out of ten players really enjoyed the game, while six considered it poor. For him, this balance is acceptable. However, during playtests for “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach,” everyone seemed to have positive feedback.
Sony is content, yet there’s a part of me yearning for something more daring. A blockbuster movie requires an 80% approval rating, and I don’t want to create games in that vein. I’m not drawn to catering to the general audience or selling vast quantities… That’s not my goal.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is coming to PS5 on June 26.
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2025-06-17 16:41