Kojima Productions’ upcoming game Death Stranding is still mostly shrouded in mystery, but today a new interview with Hideo Kojima published by J-Wave provides an update on the state of development.
Kojima-san mentions that with the story is done from the beginning to the end, but since it’s an open-world game, it’s not yet in the polishing stage. Currently, while holding the controller every day, he is working on “let’s do this here” or “let’s change this effect here”
He also mentions that many studios release their games later than they originally planned, but while Death Stranding is slightly behind the initial plan, there isn’t a large delay.
Asked whether having a set release date (internally) is pushing him to make compromises, Kojima-san explains that there is a little bit of compromise. An amateur artist can keep working on the details until he’s fully satisfied, but since there is a set release date, he can have a goal and he can create with priorities in mind.
If he didn’t have a deadline, he’d just keep working on the game forever. On the other hand, having a deadline means that he can do his best, and he can make sure to finish in time. However, he would never release the game that didn’t match his standards.
Interestingly, Kojima-san also talks about future trends in gaming and entertainment. He mentions streaming and the fact that a few years ago streaming movies had low quality, but today you can watch them in high resolution. Since games will probably follow a similar path, he thinks entertainment will change in about five years. While movies and games are basically opposites, he feels that after that much time passes, the two will become “one entertainment,” and he looks forward to this future.
He also talks about artificial intelligence, mentioning that in about ten years refrigerators, mobile phones, clocks and more will be linked to the AI, which will control various services. While now games are made by humans, there will be a time in which the AI will be able to also create games. At that point, not only game developers like him but also ordinary people will be able to make their own games. Person A and Person B will be able to create different parts of a game and the AI will connect them together. Thanks to the AI, creators and players will be brought together, and developers will be able to provide services while playing.
Asked if there is anything that only humans can do, Kojima-san explained that the AI learns from a database. If it analyzes a painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, the more data is available on the picture, the more it becomes possible for the AI to create a new work based on it. However, without a database, it can accomplish nothing.
On the other hand, humans can create without any database simply by adopting new ways of thinking. When those are turned into creations, to an extent they become like a database, and the AI can create something new based on it. Kojima-san believes that humans will simply move to new areas [of creativity]. Artificial intelligence might try to follow them, but humans will manage to leave it behind.
If you want to know more about the game, you can read some recent impressions by Head of Marketing and Communications Aki Saito and actor Norman Reedus, and more by Guerrilla Games Managing Director Hermen Hulst. You can check out a lovely Holiday card designed by Yoji Shinkawa, a long gameplay video from E3 2018, a trailer from last year, and another from two years ago.
For now, we know that Death Stranding is coming to PS4, and recently Hideo Kojima himself possibly teased a 2019 release.
Source: J-Wave
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