Konami

The „Death Stranding“ producer Hideo Kojima says his new game is about building connections between people in an era defined by the isolationist politics of the Trump administration and Brexit.

In an interview with BBC’s Newsbeat, Kojima said he wanted „Death Stranding“ to remind people of the value of caring for one another.

„Death Stranding,“ which is scheduled for release on the PlayStation 4 on Friday, is the first release from Kojima’s independent studio.

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Video games have been celebrated for their ability to connect players from around the world, but the producer of this year’s biggest PlayStation exclusive believes his latest game could help those players learn the value of caring for one another too.

Hideo Kojima is the creator of „Death Stranding,“ an ambitious new game scheduled to arrive on the PlayStation 4 on Friday and on PC in 2020. Kojima’s independent studio, Kojima Productions, has been working on the game for more than three years, and it features star voice talent including Norman Reedus and Troy Baker.

"Death Stranding"/Kojima Productions

„Death Stranding“ is no typical action foray — it stars Reedus‘ character as a deliveryman traveling to connect the last surviving cities in a postapocalyptic America. In an interview with BBC’s Newsbeat, Kojima said the survival game was designed as a commentary on the isolationist politics of US President Donald Trump and the UK’s vote to leave the European Union.

„President Trump right now is building a wall,“ Kojima told Newsbeat. „Then you have Brexit, where the UK is trying to leave the EU, and it feels like there are lots of walls and people thinking only about themselves in the world.

„In Death Stranding we’re using bridges to represent connection — there are options to use them or break them,“ he continued. „It’s about making people think about the meaning of connection.“

Players explore a vast wasteland in „Death Stranding“ and won’t encounter one another directly. Instead, they can leave helpful information or resources to make the game easier for players who follow them. „Death Stranding“ is built to encourage players to build strong relationships with one another and the characters in the game.

Death Stranding Kojima Productions

Kojima told Newsbeat the themes in „Death Stranding“ were meant to be universal and were designed to help people care about one another in ways he thought social media and other forms of connection didn’t encourage.