Kojima Provides Update On Death Stranding, Talks Naked Norman Reedus

During an appearance at the Tribeca Games Festival this weekend, Hideo Kojima shared an update on how his mysterious and anticipated game Death Stranding is coming along. He also talked about the decision to have the character The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus plays appear naked in the first trailer for the game.

He didn't get into specifics about Death Stranding, but confirmed that his team at Kojima Productions is currently working with its engine, Decima, on tests for the game. This suggests that the game is still quite early in the development process, though it apparently could come out in 2018.

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"We are continuously doing different tests for game systems, for characters, for environments," he said through a translator. "We are continually testing these aspects. So far, it's going pretty well."

As an example, Kojima said the team is working on a test environment set in New York, though that is not where the game is set, he stressed. The team created a restaurant setting and they're working on figuring out who the character played by Reedus meets there, the table they sit at, the dialogue between them, and even the menu they look at.

Altogether, Kojima's team is now trying to combine different elements of Death Stranding to see how they come together, he said.

Also during the talk, Kojima briefly discussed Reedus being naked in the Death Stranding reveal trailer. "[Having Norman Reedus naked in the Death Stranding reveal trailer] is something I very specifically had in mind--I wanted people to see first a naked Norman," Kojima said. "And then from there, you will be able to see him in different costumes, in different hairstyles, different equipment--and that's as much as I should say today."

In addition to Reedus, Death Stranding will feature Hannibal actor Mads Mikkelsen and film director Guillermo del Toro.

Death Stranding is in development as a console-exclusive for PlayStation 4 through a partnership with Sony. The game is also reportedly coming to PC.

For more on Death Stranding, you can check out all of GameSpot's previous written and video content here.