Hideo Kojima recently dropped a bombshell in an interview with Edge Magazine, revealing that during its development, the original "Death Stranding" received incredibly polarizing feedback from playtesters – with the majority actually disliking the game.
"I did a lot of monitoring tests for the first 'Death Stranding'," Kojima explained. "I found that about four out of ten people would really like it, and the other six would say it was a terrible game." In other words, only about 40% of testers gave positive feedback. But here's the kicker: Kojima actually considered that "a good balance."
However, it seems this controversial streak might not be carrying over to "Death Stranding 2." Kojima noted that during sequel tests, "everyone seems positive." While that's undoubtedly good news for Sony, Kojima himself admitted he actually wished "it could be a bit more controversial."
Kojima also pointed out that big commercial blockbusters typically aim for around 80% approval before release. But he's just not interested in creating games with that "safe mode" mentality.
"I don't want to make games like that," he stated. "I'm not interested in catering to the mass market or selling millions of copies. That's not my goal."
Still, Kojima was quick to emphasize that he's not completely oblivious to commercial realities: "I can't afford to fail. I have to take care of my studio, my staff, and our production budget. But essentially, I don't want to just recreate what already exists in this world. I want to make something new."
Funnily enough, despite the initial wave of negative feedback during its test phase, the original "Death Stranding" has now amassed over 20 million players, proving that its divisive nature certainly didn't stop it from building a lasting legacy.
via： Gamesradar+