According to Hideo Kojima, if there were to be a sequel to Death Stranding, it would have to "start from zero." Death Stranding released earlier this month to generally positive reviews. Although the game performed well critically and could certainly warrant a sequel, Kojima seems set on moving on to something new.
In 2015, Hideo Kojima left his long-tenured position at Konami. For the first time in nearly thirty years, the famed game creator found himself without a production to work on. His respite didn't last long though, as PlayStation intervened and offered to assist Kojima in creating his own game studio. Four years later and that collaborative production, Death Stranding, has finally arrived, but it isn't particularly what anybody expected. Kojima himself even admitted he expected mixed reactions towards Death Stranding, due to the game being "something new" and "challenging." It's no doubt the game has challenged both players' skills and their patience, with some questioning whether the game is really anything new at all. Although many critics lauded the innovation of Death Stranding, others completely loathed it.
Kojima's comments on a sequel to Death Stranding come by way of an interview with Vulture. In the interview, Kojima expresses interest in returning to make another Death Stranding game, but if he did, he would have to start from scratch. Most Kojima games are famous for being massively ambitious and innovators of gameplay. This makes sense as to why a sequel to Death Stranding would have to start back at the basics. While working on Metal Gear, Kojima implemented new gameplay systems and story-mechanics in nearly every new game in the series.
Talking with Vulture, Kojima continues on about his work directing Death Stranding. He says that he hopes to work more with the star of the game, Norman Reedus. Reedus himself even implied he thought Hideo Kojima was a genius, saying of the game's director, "His mind is on another level." The renowned developer hasn't shied away from talking about the sensitive aspects of working on Death Stranding, saying he previously thought "every American guy never even felt solitude." This was something which created an enormous challenge for Kojima as he worked on delivering a game of true solitude, albeit with global appeal. Interestingly, his perspective changed after watching Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, a film which exemplifies the pitfalls of depression.
The story behind Death Stranding seems to get more and more crazy with every day. From inspiration to inception to production, the development of the game may be the only thing more insane than the game itself. It's no secret Death Stranding has its critics, with some arguing that it gets away with something no other game ever could in terms of video game product placement. At the end of the day, as with all things Kojima, it's impossible to know what the future will hold, whether it's for sequels to Death Stranding or other projects.
Source: Vulture