The long saga of consumers attempting to figure out whether or not Death Stranding is a PS4 exclusive continued at Gamescom 2019 this week when fans were bombarded with marketing materials that labeled it as something that would appear only on the Sony console. Death Stranding was originally announced years ago as a PS4 and PC game, but had in the interim pivoted towards PS4 exclusivity leading up to launch.
That is, of course, until Sony websites worldwide began delisting Death Stranding from their PlayStation exclusive pages, sparking rumors that the first Hideo Kojima game since his split from Konami would be coming to PC after all. On top of that, Sony recently went on record as saying that the company believes in the need for PlayStation exclusives but also realizes that many first-party titles should be multi-platform, even if they’re designed by Sony-owned companies. Kojima Productions isn’t even owned by Sony, so it would make sense given recent information that the title ends up on more than just the PS4.
If it is going to appear on multiple platforms, however, someone should really tell the Death Stranding marketing team. Recent reports from the floor about Death Stranding at Gamescom 2019 revealed that most advertisements for the hotly-anticipated “stranding game” - the first of its genre, according to Kojima - near-universally label the title as a PS4 exclusive. Adding weight to the notion that Death Stranding is a PS4 exclusive after all is a recent tweet from Kojima that sees him posing in front of the box art for the game, cropped in such a way that clearly displays a PS4 exclusivity label at the top of the image.
It’s been a strange few weeks regarding Death Stranding release information, as neither Kojima Productions or Sony have commented on its exclusivity status, which has simply led to more wild speculation about what’s happening. Given that both companies have remained mostly silent about the rumors, there’s a possibility that both parties are currently working to determine if Death Stranding PS4 exclusivity is happening, how long that exclusivity might last, and, if it isn’t happening, which other platforms the game will be headed for.
As it stands now, though, Death Stranding is - apparently - a PS4 exclusive. It’s also one of the most exciting games launching in 2019, and despite also being one of the most confusing game releases on the horizon, wherever it lands, it will likely sell millions. It would be nice for fans to definitively know where to expect the title, but for now, the safest bet seems to be operating under the assumption that the Death Stranding PS4 exclusive status remains true until consumers are explicitly told otherwise.
Next: Death Stranding Gamescom Footage Raises More Questions Than Answers
Source: Hideo Kojima/Twitter
