Death Stranding Gets a Surprise Xbox Series X|S Port, Out Now

Great news good to see gaming moving forward 😎

It still sounds weird hearing the sentence 'the early years of the PS5 generation'. Time flies.

Also, this is such a dull game.

Releasing this game on a platform that hates this type of game and has been very vocal specially about Death Stranding does not sound like a good move, but let's see how it pays off.

Sony pays for the entire development to have a mere 5-year exclusivity deal? Crazy times.

The funny thing is to see Sony talking at every investors call that they need to own more IPs but in the end of the day they are losing them.

@__jamiie hilariously it’s one of the most captivating games I’ve ever played.

The most interesting part of this is actually that this must mean Decima has been ported to Xbox. Presumably by KojiPro.

@CielloArc A very small pool of online fanboys doesn't represent an entire console community. Let's not make comments like this and be better.

@__jamiie I think it’s a hauntingly great game, with unique gameplay mechanics that intertwine with the environment. Xbox fans have a treat in their hands today—I hope they play it and enjoy it.

@ED_209 Sony definitely made back their money and more.

I love that on PS5 I guess I'm going to love it on the Xbox

loved it the weirdness of the world created and how to get from A to B

Great game, one of my all time favourites, happy to see others get to play it!

So I guess they're going to have to take DS off the PS Exclusive line-up board.... it's likely a positive thing for gaming, but I also can't help but feel this isn't a good look for PlayStation

So let's get this straight:

Sony hands Kojima the proprietary Decima engine with no strings attached.
Provides the tech and stage for extensive state of the art motion capture.
Foots the bill of all the expensive Hollywood actors salaries that Kojima insists on having.

Then proceeds to just sell the IP to Kojima, who's now free to release the game on Xbox or any other platform for that matter (Switch 2?), where Sony makes no money in return because they don't publish those versions.

So if Kojima owns the IP I fully expect DS2 to launch multiplatform or at the very least no more than a year after the PS5. This release pattern has become so obvious now that the maximum sales of DS2 on PS5 will suffer because of it.

Another great 4D chess move by Hermen Hulst!

I foresee colossal sales.

Something no one will ever say.

Oh look, Push Square finally has an article about a game and not the PS5 Pro.

Oh look, it’s about a game that came out on Xbox. 😂

@truerbluer On the other hand, unless you are Nintendo and able to sell 60m copies of a port, you need more than a single platform to thrive in the current industry.

@LiamCroft Thanks, I love your articles on this site. Unbiased and professional.

@voltum3l and unfortunately for Sony, none of the income from sales will be coming to them (unlike all the XBox ports coming to PS)... It's an interesting twist however... but perhaps very Kojima.

I do think the aspect of it bringing over Decima makes for some interesting analysis.

An interesting surprise. I didn't like DS much myself. Just found it incredibly boring personally but good for anyone curious enough to try it on Xbox.

@truerbluer I doubt that Sony ever owned the IP... I can't see them selling off this to Kojima (and as you said, does that mean DS2 will be multi-plat from the get-go?). Edit - I mean fully owned the IP. There had to have been some catch.

Also - perhaps this is also why DS2 has been a bit slow to get more coverage... ? It will definitely take the shine off the DS2 for Sony fans....

@Banjo- I think even Nintendo have started hitting a hard limit in software outside of MK8. 25 million seems to be the max they can reach. The smart thing for Nintendo is all their studios are in Japan and they are less graphics intensive which makes game dev much cheaper.

@get2sammyb I think Physint is probably the IP Sony really care about based on that announcement. Either way I hope Xbox gamers turn up to play the game.

So second game coming to Xbox is question of "when" not "if"

Not expecting day one launch though. But maybe one year PS5 exclusive.

@get2sammyb I'm referring to the game sales on PS5 not the console itself. People will just wait for the game to release on their platform/ecosystem of choice and Sony won't make back their investment on the PS5 release now that the IP ownership info is public knowledge and people know for sure DS2 will not be exclusive.

Wait isn't this using Guerrilla games engine? I would have thought Sony had more control of where their engine is ported. So technically if Sony wanted they can now easily port all the Horizon gamed to Xbox! 😯

Even if it is a Post-apocalyptic Amazon Delivery simulator, I'm still glad to see it on Xbox. Third party exclusivity needs to die in the gaming market.

Sony: We need more IPs
Sony: lets sell off an IP
Not sure if its for the relationship with Kojima towards Physiant or what but Playstation continues down a weird path. Not that they are going anywhere for now but i dont want them crying when engagement and players in their ecosystem drop.

Ps: begin the cries for it to be on Gamepass even though is $20 right now lol

@get2sammyb so apparently it's been announced in Japan that Kojima actually bought the IP rights from Sony. It's a strange world we live in - post November 5.

@breakneck Of course! Nintendo has made an immeasurable amount of money this (actually, last, since Switch belongs to the last) generation thanks to fully-priced ports and relatively cheap to develop new games, but it will be very interesting to check the coming years, with no more Wii U ports to re-sell, higher expectations and more competition with hybrid PCs and such.

Smart move Sony, Lets borrow Guerillas engine for a game that releases on Xbox. I never bought the game as the gameplay just seem boring to me (so maybe it’s also part my fault haha).

Please don't tell me this is Hermen clawing back some Concord money... please don't tell me it it's true.....

@get2sammyb - Well, if that's the case, why not port Uncharted, Killzone, Days Gone and so on to Xbox and Nintendo platforms since those IPs are pretty much dormant nowadays?

I have the impression that Sony has no idea what they are doing at the moment. Not a good look on the 30th birthday year of their platform to be honest.

@Banjo- Exactly and no pandemic (hopefully) boosts for the overall sector.

@Oz_Who_Dat_Dare This makes much more sense rather than Sony just giving it away.

@Tecinthebrain Right, Decima engine is owned by Guerrilla and Guerrilla is owned by Sony. Interesting although somewhat expected approach.

Kojima probably had the option to buy the rights back or they just automatically reverted although I suppose there could have been some kind of deal where Sony gets the Physint IP in return..

Cool! More people playing good games is good.

Will be interesting to see how Decima runs on the Xbox tech 😁

@truerbluer "Then proceeds to just sell the IP to Kojima"

For all we know, there was a clause that enabled Kojima to buy the IP once an amount of time had elapsed or money made. It's not common but it does happen sometimes. It's not like Kojima went independent to sell his soul to platform holders, he wants something out of it.

It sounds like both parties got what they wanted to be honest.

@MrMagic This is what I think. Kojima bought back the IP rights to DS but Sony got his new Stealth franchise in return where even the movies/tv shows go through their studio.

Good for them.
I wish From Software would do the same with Bloodborne, and save it from a slumbering death in Sony's forgotten libraries.... And sooner rather than later, while Miyazaki is still in the game directing business, and willing to do a sequel.

@breakneck That's also right. New Horizons was the most boring Animal Crossing to date and yet the best-selling ever because everyone was playing that game during the pandemic. I also hope that we stay healthy and do more things. 😁

This wont sell even at the cut down price. The announcement tweet was just full of people asking whether it was on Gamepass. Microsoft have programmed their entire userbase to not buy games.

@Shinnok789 Sony never giving up that ip don't get your hopes up.

@Shinnok789 Have you considered that From might not actually care? Elden Ring is also a technical mess and they are making more money from that then they would Bloodbourne.

@breakneck If they did get the Physint IP in return then that's probably a good deal because a stealth action espionage game by Kojima will obviously have a wider appeal than death stranding.

I love how probably the most infamous and extreme singular vision of AAA releases is also such a positive beacon in all this chaos. Kind of fits perfectly.

@LiamCroft @get2sammyb I wasnt really discussing moderation, just commenting on ur post. Didn't know that was considered a moderation, since his comment didn't get removed. But oh well, you’re the boss.

But seriously, if you have the time you should check out the comment section at PX.

Its an article asking how hyped people are for Stalker 2. And the first post starts like this:

“The only ones not absolutely hyped for this game are Sony Fanboys. They will absolutely review bomb the game anywhere they can... because they don't care about what the developers went through to get this game out to the public...they only care that it's not available on their PlayStations”

No moderation at all it seems over there on PX, thats why i mentioned your “moderation” felt a bit severe

Edit: Don't wanna leave things on a negative note. So i just want to say, i appreciate all the work you do. I can imagine its tough running and maintaining a site like this. Keep up the good work! 😎

@Smash41 if gamepass is only 15% of their revenue then they clearly haven't programmed "their entire userbase."

With the number of publishers abandoning exclusivity deals in favor of multiplat, there has to be data that supports xbox releases. Death stranding obviously won't sell gangbusters at this point but I bet it makes money.

@Smash41 @LogicStrikesAgain The thread about Death Stranding on Pure Xbox (a nice community) is positive, just questions and answers about Sony's involvement and people willing to play it now because it's also enhanced for Series S|X and Play Anywhere. I missed it on PS4 and I will buy it today for Xbox since it's 50% off.

@Banjo- Thats great! But i was referring to the earlier comment and how he was told not to say things like what was posted there. About saying it doesnt sound like a particulary good idea to him, cause he thinks the audience as a whole isnt really into these kinds of games. There’s some truth in different audiences having different tastes. But again, as far as his comment goes. It hardly comes across as some console warfaring post. At PX they let much more severe things slide, in that regard. Thats all im saying.

But im glad if Death Stranding will do good on Xbox, hope people will enjoy it 👍🏼

Is there any chance Stellar Blade might also eventually make the jump? Now that we know that being originally published by Sony isn’t a surefire guarantee it will stay a permanent exclusive if they don’t also own the IP.

@Cakefish Stellar Blade was likely always going to go multi-plat... most (if not all) 2nd party deals are timed-exclusives only. Edit - DS was an exception because Sony apparently did own the IP... now whether there was a timed option to buy it out, is another thing.

Wait, why are they all excited now? This is a nothing but a Fed-Ex walking simulator, or so sneered countless fanboys through clenched teeth and tear-stained faces🤔

Whatever keeps the ip going. I absolutely loved my time in this world. But I just want to know more about DS2 and the movie tbh

Also hopefully that means their xbox game with the memeable screaming girl makes it onto ps assuming that turns out good too

It's ok, good decision.

Zero reason to be upset by this.

Great news, great game which more people get to play, I have no issue with timed exclusives, much rather this than locked to one platform forever (not 1st party titles of course).

@Oz_Who_Dat_Dare That sounds promising!

What awesome news!!! So happy to hear Xbox owners can play this weird, art-house, fantastic game.

@ED_209 Sony won't port those games just like Nintendo won't port their games. As both Sony and Nintendo have hardware to sell as its a huge part of their business.

@C25CLOUD As I said, "I wish" - not holding my breath, obviously.

@LowDefAl Miyazaki wanted to do more with Bloodborne but can't because it's up to Sony - as per his own statement a few years ago.
As for "money making" - the IP has a ton of potential if continued properly. The 1st game set a very good base, even though it's held back by it's PS4 exclusivity. A multiplatform sequel directed by the same man has a ton of potential to be successful.

I enjoyed watching people play this game online. I had no idea that Sony was involved and that it wasn't on xbox. Sony should have kept this IP under their umbrella if they spent some of their coin on it.

A version on the Nintendo Switch (or the Switch 2) would be good, if probably not possible

@ED_209 mere 5 years? 😂 The money has been made. They’ll make much more going forward with this deal.

Good lord Trump gets elected and the world's already burning for console fanboys this was faster than expected lmao 🤣

@Banjo- Yeah! It's not only on Xbox now, but it's a Play Anywhere title! This made it an instant purchase for me.

I will use my rewards points to buy it and then happily play it between my Series X and my ROG Ally.

After how Konami treated him, I don’t blame the man for buying the full rights to his IP.

Plus, with the Herman Hulst era of SIE, it’s probably a smarter move now than later.

@LowDefAl i wouldn't be surprised if part of the new with the new game hes making for sony was that he could buy death stranding from them. if thats the case then win win because hes still working with sony , and he can sell his game on xbox now

Kojima literally didn't even wait a minute past the exclusivity expiration, as right at midnight the game released on Xbox.

This also means the sequel will release on Xbox and probably a lot sooner given the fact that Kojima and Phil Spencer have a great relationship.

@LiamCroft

Death Stranding: Director's Cut also launches today on PC and Amazon Luna via third-party publisher 505 Games.

Death Stranding and the director's cut have been on PC for a long time. It's even been on PC Game Pass.

Weird seeing "Sony interactive entertainment presents" at the start of the game on Xbox.

PlayStation
PC
Apple Silicon Mac
iPhone/iPad
and
Xbox console
Cloud(Luna)
It now, can be played on all platforms except for the Switch, where it is difficult to run.

Deliver them pizzas! Then do a race, and fix them roads!

@HarmanSmith Hard to beat that! 😁🙌

$20 is a ***** steal! What an amazing game

@__jamiie I just didn't see the point at all

I can see things like this happening more and more. The cost of development is skyrocketing and it will be the only way big budget games will have a chance of turning a profit.

Loved this game and all of the cameos! Will the PlayStation player structures carry over to the Xbox version or will they be starting fresh?

This may mean that OD will eventually find its way to PlayStation!

@CielloArc it might sell better and appreciated better on Switch 2 when it gets ported there lmao

@rjejr Seems like every article lately is PS5 Pro, Xbox, or Ubisoft for the most part.

Can't wait for the sequel and see whee this goes. How cool would it be if we got Xbox players building bridges and connecting on Playstation.

I hope Sony has stopped wasting their money on Kojima´s underwhelming walking sim scam (really just a vehicle to hand over money and buy his way into Hollywood)

Great news. Xbox gamers get to play a great game!

Hermen Hulst is and remains the worst CEO. I'm far from understanding why he's still CEO. well another mega flop like Concord and he will finally be fired.

Im ashamed of how many hours i put into this creepy postman delivery sim, and yet eagerly await the sequel. Seriously this was one of my favorite titles of its generation.

Despite having put way too many hours into it(i got the platinum), I intend on picking it up again on series x. (Much like how i picked up alan wake 2 today on ps5 pro despite 100% completion on xbox) its just that good.

Good for Kojima that now he fully owns the IP.

But i don't get the idea that Sony let him fully own it while he used Decima engine which is Sony closed graphic engine. I thought Sony should have a bit of share of the IP since Kojima used Sony's engine.

@__jamiie dull game for you but not for me

@PuppetMaster it's ridiculous, so then Kojima can use the Sony engine for any game he chooses? Could he technically make a Xbox exclusive with it since that's only engine he's used this gen?

@Tecinthebrain Kojima used UE5 for OD which for now is an Xbox exclusives. But my guess is he probably only used Decima for Death Stranding since he doesn't need to rebuild the assets again.

Needs to wait and see what engine he will use for Physint...

Missed it on PS4 at the time, so happy to be downloading on Series X now. Looking forward to it.

I do think it amusing that Apple Silicon platforms (Mac, iPad, iPhone) even got this before Microsoft’s (Windows and Xbox)… but honestly the more people who get to experience this for themselves, on their device of choice, the better imo. 😺

@PuppetMaster I'm glad you enjoyed it.

@PuppetMaster When one company uses another companies game engine, it usually involves royalty fees, for example Epics Unreal Engine is 5% of the profit. I would assume that a similar deal exists here, which would mean that Sony would still make money on every unit sold, no matter where its sold.

@Smash41 My own experience is very different to what you describe. I use Game Pass to try before I buy and if I like something on Game Pass there's a 99% chance I'll buy it. It's also been great for me to find obscure indie games that I would never have even thought of playing or buying.

I currently own over 800 games for my Series X and a huge amount of those purchases are because I got to play them first.

Why should Microsoft get death stranding when they are so stingy to not give us starfeld? Good honest question no? 🤔

@truerbluer Sony could be making money from licensing the Decima engine. This could be a field test. They have a great engine which for current gen consoles runs better than Unreal 5. Could be a gold mine.