Hideo Kojima has stated he does not like the use of “Director’s Cut” in Death Stranding: Director’s Cut; and would have preferred “Director’s Plus.”
As previously reported, the devastating Death Stranding breaks down the barriers between life and death; causing invisible creatures called the Beached Things to roam across the US. Causing devastating explosions called voidouts, and summoning a rain that rapidly ages whatever it touches, the nation quickly fell to ruin.
Now Sam Bridges acts as a porter, transporting supplies to what few fractured and divided US cities and survivors remain. However, some humans have gained the ability to control BTs, and the terrible powers that come with it. Can Sam help reunite the nation, or even survive?
The Director’s Cut features include new story missions, enemies, and combat abilities. Players will also have new ways to deliver goods, and even a new racing minigame called Fragile Circuit.
However some fans, and even our own readers, were confused about the nature of the “Director’s Cut;” a term typically reserved for films where a director can add what they originally aimed for the final film to be before producers and studios made cuts and edits. It was assumed Kojima had full control over Death’s Stranding, especially after the situation with Konami.
For those unfamiliar, a demo titled P.T. (Playable Teaser) was added to the PlayStation Network in 2014. The unsettling horror game utilized many cryptic clues to unlock the game’s true ending, revealing it was Silent Hills. The project would have been designed and directed by Kojima, in collaboration with Guillermo del Toro, and starring Norman Reedus.
However, the game was cancelled in 2015 by Konami. Soon after the situation rapidly deteriorated [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] ultimately leading to Kojima leaving Konami, and forming Kojima Productions. Their first title, Death Stranding, featured Norman Reedus and Guillermo del Toro using facial and motion-capture.
Kojima took to Twitter, and explained that even he did not like the use of the term. He emphasized that the game’s content was not cut during development, but additionally produced. He instead proposed “Director’s Plus” may have been more apt.
“A director’s cut in a movie is an additional edit to a shortened version that was either released reluctantly because the director did not have the right to edit it, or because the running time had to be shortened.
In the game, it is not what was cut, but what was additionally produced that was included. Delector’s Plus [sic]? So, in my opinion, I don’t like to call ‘director’s cut’.”
Showing that he is not happy with the games title may have ironically shown he did not have as much control over the project as he could have. The term “Director’s Cut” was likely chosen over “Deluxe” or similar to evoke Kojima’s cinematic style of games.
In other recent news, Kojima Productions confirmed PlayStation 4 players can upgrade to Death Stranding: Director’s Cut Digital Deluxe Edition for $10 USD.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut launches September 24th on PlayStation 5.
Additional Images: MaisFontis
