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Hideo Kojima has bemoaned the trend of shadow-dropping games and films (releasing them out of the blue), calling it a “joy to live with a movie even before seeing it.”
The Death Stranding and Metal Gear Solid director took to social media to discuss the release strategy. “Games are now only promoted a year before their release date. Subscription games are suddenly released on the release day,” he writes on Twitter, calling the strategy “very efficient” but lamenting how it erases the “anticipation and fantasy.” Kojima says “While waiting, you discuss the game with your friends. This experience is also interesting.”
Games are now only promoted a year before their release date. Subscription games are suddenly released on the release day. this is very efficient, but we wait with anticipation and fantasy. While waiting, you discuss about the game with your friends. This experience is also… https://t.co/5vVeQQQEQwDecember 2, 2023
Recent shadow-dropped games include Metroid Prime: Remastered, the brilliant Hi-Fi Rush, and Apex Legends. I’m a fan of the stealth drop since there’s no time for misconceptions to grow around a project that’s maybe harder to wrap your head around - such as the rhythm-stylish-action-slasher Hi-Fi Rush.
When done well with a genuinely interesting game, the surprise release can also fuel conversation. Halo Infinite’s multiplayer and Apex Legends were both dropped without much warning, driving droves of fans, new and old, to share an experience en masse.
Hideo Kojima’s very own P.T. - the playable teaser to his canceled Silent Hills project in collaboration with Guillermo Del Toro - was also released out of nowhere. Konami, Kojima, and Silent Hill weren’t even mentioned in the announcement video. That was information players found out upon finishing the demo, and watching the community untangle the game’s knotted secrets together was a rare delight.
Regardless, Kojima still has a valid point. He’s been loud about how excited he is for the upcoming Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga film, and his argument over surprise releases is somewhat rooted in how quick, easy, and disposable art can be in the digital streaming era.
“With streaming services, you turn it on and a recommended list of the latest titles appears,” Kojima explains. “With no pre-knowledge, you watch (or play) it. You make a digital choice between ‘it was fun’ or ‘it was boring.’” In comparison, Kojima says that he finds George Miller’s Furiosa “already entertaining.”
There’s no easy answer about how to deal with release strategies. Different projects have different needs, I guess. But one project that definitely benefits from the slow, almost excruciatingly vague rollout is Kojima’s own Death Stranding 2, partly because of how fun the fan theories and clueless speculation can be.
Elsewhere, the director teases that his epic hiking sequel would redefine the meaning of “Strand.”
