Death Stranding has seen a rather strange reception. On one hand, critics have rained down favorable reviews. On the other, the general consensus has been pretty mixed. The average player is going to either love Death Stranding or find it incredibly monotonous. For a new Kojima game, such perplexion is rare.
Death Stranding was always being expected to close out the current generation on a high note, at least for Sony. However, as the game nears its worldwide release date, players are a bit baffled over the question of just how well Death Stranding will sell on PlayStation 4. According to a few analysts, though, sales are going to be pretty good for Sony.
Speaking with GameDaily recently, analyst Dr. Serkan Toto of Kantan Games noted that Death Stranding should sell between 2-3 million copies by the end of the year. Another analyst David Cole of DFC Intelligence noted that Death Stranding has the potential to sell at least 5 million copies, but didn’t quite mention a sales period.
Given that the holiday season has a severe lack of highly anticipated games, Sony could capitalize by pushing Death Stranding in every way possible. As far as analysts are concerned, Sony could have marketed the game better and not just rely on the Kojima brand to help drive sales.
The festive season is a time to crunch serious numbers. Some analysts, like Cole, believe that Sony already figured Death Stranding to be an “odd duck” in the lot. Hence, why the company has been quiet. Kojima has a worldwide fan-base and the Metal Gear creator can easily pull sales on his name alone. However, when it comes to a broad appeal, Sony needs to step in and do the work.
Death Stranding features a star-studded cast of Hollywood actors. In addition to Mikkelsen as Cliff, there’s Norman Reedus as Sam, the main protagonist. There’s also Lea Seydoux as Fragile, one of Sam’s contacts; and Margaret Qualley as Mama, an affiliate of Bridges who’s in charge of reconnecting the fractured society of the United States.
Death Stranding releases in just a few more days. You can keep yourself busy until then by going through (once again) the extensive gameplay demonstration from Tokyo Game Show 2019. It’s where several gameplay elements were seen for the first time. For those still unaware, there’s indeed multiplayer and also a fast travel mechanic, as well as several novel features that may as well prove cumbersome over time.
Death Stranding is scheduled to release for PlayStation 4 on November 8, 2019. The debut offering from Kojima Productions was developed within three years by a team of just eighty developers.
