Less than five years later: the director’s cut of Death Stranding was unexpectedly released on Xbox, and Kojima Productions took over the rights to the franchise

On the eve of the fifth anniversary, the courier action game Death Stranding from the Japanese studio Kojima Productions was released without warning on the Xbox ecosystem platforms, and immediately in the director’s cut.

Image source: Kojima Productions

Death Stranding debuted on November 8, 2019 on PS4, and reached PC in the summer of 2020. The Director’s Edition was released in September 2021 on PS5, in March 2022 it appeared on Steam and EGS, and in January 2024 on Mac and iPhone 15 Pro.

«I want to thank all the fans who stayed in touch with us and everyone in the Xbox community who waited patiently. Kojima Productions (Death Stranding) will continue to connect players around the world, so stay tuned for more news,” said studio head Hideo Kojima in a press release.

Since the original release, Death Stranding’s audience has exceeded 19 million people (at the end of 2023 it was 16 million). A full-length film based on the game is currently being created. A sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, is also in development for PS5.

In addition, Kojima Productions has confirmed that it now fully owns the rights to the Death Stranding franchise. The intellectual property was previously registered to Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Sony Interactive Entertainment released the PS4 and PS5 versions of the original game, and is also the publisher of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. The sequel is expected to premiere on PS5 in 2025.