A new report claims that Google previously cancelled a collaboration with Hideo Kojima on a Stadia-exclusiveDeath Strandingfollow-up due to the game being single-player. Since his debut with Konami in the mid-1980s, Kojima has become one of the most prolific creators in the gaming industry. The man heralded for his work increating theMetal Gearfranchisewould later go on to found his own studio, Kojima Productions, which has established itself for its narrative-driven games. Now, recent reports have confirmed Kojima was once set to work with Google on a major Stadia game.
A report from Google news outlet 9to5Google claims that Hideo Kojima had been working with Google on aDeath Strandinggame. The game was reportedly set to be an exclusively single-player experience for the Stadia, seeing a departure fromDeath Stranding’s asynchronous multiplayer elements. According to the report, Stadia doubted the viability of single-player games moving forward and shelved the project after seeing early mockups in 2020. Kojima was reportedly excited to work with “the potential of the cloud” on theDeath Strandingfollow-up.
RELATED:Kojima Productions Announces Surprising Collaboration With NASA
Google canceling a Stadia-exclusive project would seemingly confirm rumors from last year that the company had passed on a collaboration with Kojima. The mystery project was reportedly set to be anepisodic horror game from Kojima Productionsand was supposedly blocked by Stadia general manager Phil Harrison. Google would later deny these reports alongside reports that it had also passed on a proposal for a Stadia game from prolific Sega veteran and Ys Net founder Yu Suzuki. Similar to recent developments, rumors had swirled back then about the impending closure of Google Stadia.
The new report of the shelved Kojima collaboration comes as Stadia’s days are numbered after recent announcements. Google announced earlier this week that the tech juggernaut would officially beshutting down Google Stadiain the near future, with the service planned to be retired on January 18th, 2023. Reports following the announcement reveal that Google has already closed the storefront for Stadia. Google has also confirmed that it intends to refund Stadia users for purchases of both Stadia hardware and games purchased through its online marketplace.
Kojima Productions has seen plenty of success withDeath Strandingas a franchise, despite the Stadia-exclusive follow-up’s cancelation. Kojima Productions has since releasedDeath Stranding: Director’s Cutas an improved versionof the original game with quality-of-life adjustments and new missions. Rumors have also swirled about a potential sequel toDeath Strandingin the works from the developer. WhileDeath Strandingnever made it to Stadia, Kojima Productions has more than made up for the cancelation with its other versions.
Death Strandingis available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
