Hideo Kojima recently did an interview with Dengeki where he talked about how Kojima Productions has changed over the past year. He mentioned that the development team had to “focus on understanding what [he was] saying and getting a grasp on that newness” since “Death Stranding is a title with gameplay and world setting unlike anything before.” He also brought up the fact that the company started selling merchandise.
Here’s the full exchange from the translated interview:
Dengeki: Two years have passed since Kojima Productions was first established, but please tell us what has changed/evolved the most in the studio within this one year.
Kojima: Death Stranding is a title with gameplay and world setting unlike anything before. So, at the beginning, the staff had to focus on understanding what I?m saying and getting a grasp on that newness. As we entered this year, the game has started taking a shape, and we become able to catch the essence of that newness. This is the number one ?evolution.? We?ve also started producing Kojima Productions original goods. We?ve started selling them at domestic FamilyMart stores, as well as overseas and online store. Also, a Ludens statue has been placed at the entrance of the building that has our office, and people from all over the world are coming here to see it. I think that?s a manifestation of how everyone has been supporting us. It also becomes a driving force for us to proceed with the production. Thank...