Death Stranding 2’s script was changed midway as Hideo Kojima found it "too mainstream." Read on to learn more about why Kojima made some changes during production and how the game is both mainstream and radical at the same time.
Death Stranding 2 Was "Not Polarizing Enough" for Hideo Kojima
Script Was Changed Halfway Through Production
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (DS2) experienced some changes during production as Director Hideo Kojima found the game "too mainstream." It was previously reported that Kojima is bothered by the positive reviews the game has received before launch, as he wanted to create intriguing art rather than produce something considered just to be another "blockbuster" title.
This was a recurring issue for him as Composer Yoann Lemoine, a.k.a. Woodkid, revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone on June 13. Woodkid stated, "There’s a key moment where we had a discussion, probably halfway [through] when we were doing the game, where he came to me and he said, ‘We have a problem.’"
According to Woodkid, Kojima thought that the results of their testing were too good, which in his mind, there is something wrong. He said that Kojima changed the script at critical moments of the story because he thought it wasn’t polarizing enough and not triggering the emotions he was going after.
Kojima said, "If everyone likes it, it means it’s mainstream. It means it’s conventional. It means it’s already pre-digested for people to like it." His idea was to create something that people don’t like at first because this is how people will end up loving it.
Death Stranding 2 Is Both Mainstream and Radical
Woodkid continued to explain the conflicting elements that make DS2 great, and noted that there’s a real anomaly with Kojima and Death Stranding as they are both mainstream and radical.
He explained, "To be mainstream, you kind of have to compromise with so much. You can make pieces of art that are halfway of everything, but Hideo? You have no idea how much he doesn’t give a shit about this. He really doesn’t. He doesn’t compromise; he does what he wants. He knows what he’s doing, and it’s the traits of a genius."
Woodkid highlighted that despite Kojima following his vision through, he still takes into account the ideas of the people around him. He said, "[He’s] shaping his world with the ideas of his teams. It’s not just him bossing around everything. I’ve been feeding him; somehow, at some point shapeshifting and edit or something. But’s always been a dialog."
Inspiring Other Developers and Creators
With the upcoming release of DS2, Woodkid thinks that it will inspire other developers the way the Metal Gear series influenced a lot of creators, and how the first game did. However, he mentioned that people will find it difficult to copy Kojima’s work, and it shows.
Woodkid also noted that Kojima’s games will be a great source of inspiration for film makers. He elaborated, "It wouldn’t be surprising seeing him being a very strong source of inspiration for film directors. I know the cinema world is really envious of his success and his vision and the radicality of his vision."
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is set to release on June 26, 2025, on PlayStation 5. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, check out our Death Stranding 2: On The Beach article below!
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Woodkid Says Hideo Kojima Changed ‘Death Stranding 2’ Because It Wasn’t "Polarizing"
