Kojima's 'Death Stranding 2' World Tour: More Than Just a Game Launch, It's a Call to Arms (Against Climate Change!)
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Hideo Kojima is happy with Death Stranding 2's reception and used the game's world tour to inspire fans to combat global issues, dedicating the event to the late Ryan Karazija of Low Roar.
Right, so Hideo Kojima, the absolute legend, has been doing the rounds promoting 'Death Stranding 2: On The Beach,' and apparently, the early buzz has him feeling rather chuffed. According to Eurogamer, Kojima took the opportunity at the London leg of the game's world tour – which featured performances from Caroline Polachek and Chvrches – to rally fans against, well, pretty much everything that's currently trying to ruin the planet. War, climate change, pandemics… you name it, Kojima reckons we can all band together and give it a good kicking, armed with nothing but our shared love of delivering packages in a post-apocalyptic world. Fair play, mate.
Speaking of those musical performances, it sounds like they were pretty special. Polachek, who sings the game's title track, described the song as feeling “more like playing a video game” than anything she's ever sung before. Which, given some of the *interesting* games out there, is quite the compliment. Turns out, Kojima stumbled upon Polachek's music via the folks at KindaFunny – a happy accident that led to a collaboration that clearly means a lot to everyone involved. And get this: she wrote the lyrics to be like a hidden riddle in the game.
But here's the bit that tugged at my heartstrings: Kojima dedicated the whole evening to the memory of Ryan Karazija, the lead singer of Low Roar, whose music was so integral to the first 'Death Stranding.' Karazija sadly passed away in 2022. Kojima had wanted to include more of Low Roar's music in 'Death Stranding 2' and even planned to reach out but unfortunately received the news of Karazija's passing. According to Kojima, Karazija's relatives indicated that he had some unreleased music and Kojima decided to include his new songs in Death Stranding 2. Apparently, Karazija's unreleased music *will* feature in 'Death Stranding 2,' which is a lovely tribute.
And let's not forget Chvrches, who dusted off their instruments for their first performance in two years, playing the title track from the original 'Death Stranding.' They've also been secretly beavering away on a new album for the last six months, so keep your ears peeled for that.
Kojima himself seems pretty pleased with the initial reaction to 'Death Stranding 2,' even if he did apparently wish it was “a bit more controversial.” (Classic Kojima, eh? Always pushing the boundaries.) And while we don't have sales figures yet, the game did top the UK physical charts last week, so it's clearly striking a chord with *someone*. Or maybe they just needed a good hiking simulator? Who knows?
In a nutshell, it seems like Kojima is attempting to use his games to unite fans and battle against real-world problems. And while the method may be unconventional, you can't knock him for trying, can you? It's definitely got me intrigued, and I reckon 'Death Stranding 2' is shaping up to be something special.
Tags: Death Stranding 2, Hideo Kojima, Gaming News, Music, Climate Change
Original article: Eurogamer