Death Stranding hits 10 million sales as it celebrates its third birthday
Death Stranding is officially three years old! Well, on PlayStation 4 anyway. While we're behind by a few months on that milestone, Hideo Kojima has celebrated by revealing that his cargo delivery grand adventure has hit 10 million sales.
That number covers a few different releases: the original Death Stranding for PlayStation 4 and PC, the Director's Cut on PlayStation 5 and PC, and copies downloaded via PlayStation Plus and PC Game Pass. Regardless, it's still a huge milestone to hit, and for sure worth celebrating. It's no surprise that the game—which was PC Gamer's Game of the Year in 2020—has fallen into the hands of so many.
Aside from our own Death Stranding review, which scored a respectable 85, the long-term impact of Norman Reedus and his weird backpack baby has lingered. Especially with the game coming to console mere months before that global situation, and it hitting PC smack-bang in the middle of it. Rich Stanton wrote about the game unwittingly amplifying many feelings felt during those long lockdowns, a sentiment that was felt by a wider player base.
Happy Anniversary #DeathStranding !! ???? ???? 3 years ago it was introduced to the world and it changed my life. Forever grateful to @Kojima_Hideo for the gift of #DieHardman and the wonderful friends I made along the way. Keep on keeping on ???????????????????? pic.twitter.com/1iG7lGjSoUNovember 8, 2022
Hideo Kojima expressed his excitement at reaching the milestone, tweeting: "It makes me happy to think that there are over 10 million "Same one" (players) around the world, all loosely connected." Publisher 505 Games also applauded Kojima and his studio, calling it "an incredible achievement" and offering "congratulations from the whole team here at 505 Games." Tommie Earl Jenkins, who provided motion capture and the voice for Die-Hardman, posted some behind-the-scenes photos to celebrate the anniversary. "Three years ago it was introduced to the world and it changed my life," he tweeted. "Forever grateful to @Kojima_Hideo for the gift of #DieHardman and the wonderful friends I made along the way. Keep on keeping on."
Norman Reedus all but confirmed earlier this year that work is underway on a Death Stranding sequel, which was met with a cheeky response from Kojima. It's not the only game under the developer's belt, either. Right now we know about his partnership with Xbox. That could possibly be Overdose, the game that may have been leaked by a rather topless man in early November. There's also the game he's been endlessly teasing since September featuring Elle Fanning, which according to in-house Kojima expert Rich is likely to be Death Stranding 2, but it could be a whole other thing. Yes, my head hurts too.