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[realcool]

Article:

Is there something essential that you learned from him over the course of development?
There's a key moment where we had a discussion, probably halfway [through] when we were doing the game, where he came to me and he said, "We have a problem." Then he said, "I'm going to be very honest, we have been testing the game with players and the results are too good. They like it too much. That means something is wrong; we have to change something." And he changed stuff in the script and the way some crucial stuff [happens] in the game because he thought his work was not polarizing and not triggering enough emotions. And he said, "If everyone likes it, it means it's mainstream. It means it's conventional. It means it's already pre-digested for people to like it. And I don't want that. I want people to end up liking things they didn't like when they first encountered it, because that's where you really end up loving something. And that was really a lesson for me; not doing stuff to please people, but to make them shift a little bit and move them.

Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/rs-gaming/woodkid-hideo-kojima-death-stranding-soundtrack-1235357959/

"Did you rike it?"

"Yes!"

"How dare you?!"

 

[Punished Miku]

Totally can respect that. We definitely live in an age where most people prefer to just consume the same thing they're already used to, over and over.

 

[sodstall]

Yes. He has always liked bullshit.

 

[Judge Magister]

Expedition 33 devs should take notes. The results were too good. People liked it too much. Something is wrong.

 

[Bojji]

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

So instead of an umbrella Fragile now has a golf club?

 

[Gripsx]

And that's what I expect from his games

 

[LordOcidax]

Perfect answer for the DS1 backslash… How convenient response. If he said that before the DS1 launch i would believe him.

 

[roosnam1980]

too good.............

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

And we see it in COD, Fortnite, which are garbage games, but people consume them...

And games that are great titles, but very few know them.

 

[yet_another_alt]

His back must hurt twisting over himself to smell his own farts this much.

 

[Hugare]

"Death Stranding 2 only sold 1M copies"

Kojima:

 

[Hugare]

* double post *

 

[Rocinante618]

Some say Pretentious and Vanity met in Japan and had a child whose name starts with H.

 

[Brakum]

Most humble dev

 

[ValiantInstance]

He's really disappeared up his own ass since leaving Konami.

 

[Hideous Snake]

I respect that. This is why Kojima is different and this isn't anything new from the previous games

 

[Little Mac]

 

[Deerock71]

And we see it in COD, Fortnite, which are garbage games, but people consume them...

And games that are great titles, but very few know them.

Occasionally, I crave a little Fortnite like I sometimes gotta have a Big Mac. Not all the time for either, though.

 

[Badlucktroll]

godKOJIMA

 

[vpance]

That's actually on point. Too much derivative slop out there now in the entertainment medium driven by board rooms targeting the mainstream.

 

[Clear]

His back must hurt twisting over himself to smell his own farts this much.

So he should pander to his audience ?

Focus-group testing is the way forwards, particularly if it results in inoffensive flavourless swill ?

Uh-huh, real big brain stuff here

 

[Ristifer]

That's actually on point. Too much derivative slop out there now in the entertainment medium driven by board rooms targeting the mainstream.

Kojima is mainstream lol. He's not some highbrow thinker in the mountains of Myanmar selling irregular carpet to the local landowners. I'm sure that's what he thinks he is, but he's still just making fairly popular video games with goofy ass stories.

 

[SentientStone]

I can sense it… Big Boss is gonna come in at the end to tell you the Truth… the Absolute Truth. Hallelujah

 

[A.Romero]

That's an interesting approach.

I guess it's a "risk" you can take when being as popular.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

So he made changes in story ….

Useless for me, I just skim story in his games anyways. Plot twists in his games would fly by me if they weren't accompanied by dramatic music.

 

[The_Observer]

Most won't understand this approach, which is expected, but in the end he is right. The previous game is a masterpiece, which is not for everyone, but that's why it is a masterpiece. Same logic here.

 

[vpance]

Kojima is mainstream lol. He's not some highbrow thinker in the mountains of Myanmar selling irregular carpet to the local landowners. I'm sure that's what he thinks he is, but he's still just making fairly popular video games with goofy ass stories.

If it was truly mainstream DS would have sold 10+ million copies. But I get your point.

Goofy or not I'll give him respect for making a delivery game work out in a way I doubt any other studio could.

 

[VolticArchangel]

Some say Pretentious and Vanity met in Japan and had a child whose name starts with H.

Ah, yes. the pretentious and vanity obsessed Hidetaka Miyazaki.

Spoiler

 

[Wishmaster92]

Jfc…I really can't wait till DS2 finally gets released so he can finally fucking move on from this ip!! Bro where is any news about OD?? You know? The horror game inspired by pt that has spawned so many horror slop games over the years? I'm tired of seeing pt clones, it's so fucking embarrassing.

 

[yet_another_alt]

So he should pander to his audience ?

Focus-group testing is the way forwards, particularly if it results in inoffensive flavourless swill ?

Uh-huh, real big brain stuff here

Let's break it down into levels of cringe.

Actually Respectable: I want people to end up liking things they didn't like when they first encountered it, because that's where you really end up loving something. And that was really a lesson for me; not doing stuff to please people, but to make them shift a little bit and move them.

Pretentious But Typical Kojima: If everyone likes it, it means it's mainstream. It means it's conventional. It means it's already pre-digested for people to like it.

Fart-Sniffing: I'm going to be very honest, we have been testing the game with players and the results are too good. They like it too much. That means something is wrong; we have to change something.

 

[mckmas8808]

Some say Pretentious and Vanity met in Japan and had a child whose name starts with H.

Or he's a guy that loves being a creator. And not just a guy making a consumer product. There's a difference!

I respect that. This is why Kojima is different and this isn't anything new from the previous games

Exactly!

 

[Crayon]

He has my sword.

 

[yogaflame]

Wow, I'm expecting some big emotional impacting scene and decisions or tragedies.

 

[MAX PAYMENT]

Been saying it since MGS2. He isn't some grand, next level artist. He just trolls his audience and that's about it.

 

[rofif]

fuck yeah

 

[Clear]

Fart-Sniffing: I'm going to be very honest, we have been testing the game with players and the results are too good. They like it too much. That means something is wrong; we have to change something.

So yeah, lets make judgements based on the precise choice of words used in an article citing a second-hand recollection of something said by person who's primary spoken language isn't English...

Totally convincing! No subtlety or nuance could possibly be lost in a literal example of "telephone"!

 

[Hero_Select]

How anyone can like Death Stranding with it's incredibly pretentious story is beyond me.

No, your writing isn't deep - it just sucks.

 

[coachmcguirk91]

Good thing I don't play Kojima games for their story

 

[Bernardougf]

Assuming this is true.. he did exactly what he wanted, and everybody loved, and then decided to change for a more divisive outcome different from even his original plan/idea.

This got to be one of the most stupid things I ever heard...

Glad I checked out of his craziness since MGS5...

 

[Fbh]

"Death Stranding 2 only sold 1M copies"

Kojima:

"Mr Kojima the reviews are out: 54 on Metacritic"

Kojima:

 

[XERXES_89]

Didn't he say that he introduced some characters back because the fans wanted them even if it didn't make narrative sense? Now this is the exact opposite. I think the guy is just old and a moron. Like Coppola and Ridley Scott old. They were the greatest but not anymore. DS is just a stupid game with a stupid story.

The guy created some of the best games ever. He could have created the best game in history, MGSV, if it weren't for the development problems and Konami's situation at the time. But that Hideo Kojima is no more.

 

[Alex11]

How anyone can like Death Stranding with it's incredibly pretentious story is beyond me.

No, your writing isn't deep - it just sucks.

I played the game 2 times - sometimes I wonder why - and skipped every cutscene the 2nd time.

And from these words I was right with the story, it's just pretentious gibberish, but not in a way that an artist creates something because that's what he/she wants or likes, he just does it for the sake of being different.
We see this even with some movie directors, making sequels to their own movies and ruining them by changing things just because.

 

[Bernardougf]

Shit I bet his got this idea from Neil Cuckman after his visit to Kojima Productions.

"Bro.. everybody loved ? Fuck this... be like me.. make 50% hate... you will win some HBO series.. for sure!"

 

[Walter Matthau]

 

[Arsic]

I think this is just a translation error.

It sounds to me that the "effect" he had from the narrative didn't stick. Too many people feeling like it was a happy conclusion etc. Likely wanted something more wtf!?

I just hope it isn't some golf club to BBs brains or some shit.

 

[Valonquar]

I'm pretty tired of creators trying too hard to subvert expectations

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Kojima got the Druckman virus

 

[Killer8]

Finally more developers are growing a spine. Listening to gamers is literally one of the worst things a developer can do.

 

[Danny22]

I have always admired this mentality. Never give the audience what they want. Always tell your own story and let them discover it. Historically, the greatest stuff is usually received with a controversial reception, atleast intially. And why I dislike the Marvel/Disney approach of focus group testing the product until everybody likes it (but few love it).

And I say this despite not liking death stranding much.