Death Stranding is free on the Epic Games Store as the store momentarily crashes due to heavy demand
Kojima has recently opened up to talk more about the confirmed Death Stranding movie and how he needs to create something that 'inspire some of the people who watch it to become creators 10 or 20 years down the line.'
Kojima’s Death Stranding is the latest free game offered by The Epic Games Store. Players can redeem and add this game to their library for free until December 26 at 9:30 pm IST / 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 4 pm GMT. The giveaway is part of Epic Games’ '15 Days of Free Games‘ campaign. There will be a new free game given away by Epic Games every day until December 29.
So far, The Epic Games Store has given away Wolfenstein: The New Order, Fallout Classic Collection, Bloons TD 6, Horizon Chase Turbo, Encased, Metro: Last Light Redux, Costume Quest 2, Sable and Them’s Fightin’ Herds.
The Epic Games Store is also running its holiday sale at the moment which offers discounts up to 75% on some games. This sale will end on January 5, 2023.
Epic Games Store crashes
Kojima Productions’ debut game Death Stranding is a popular AAA title which received both critical acclaim and positive fan reception. As Epic Games announced Death Stranding as a free title, hundreds of thousands of players flocked to add the game to their collection.
This led to the Epic Games Store crashing on Christmas Day as the servers couldn’t keep up with the traffic driving in to claim Death Stranding. Moreover, The Epic Games Store was giving away the Death Stranding Director’s Cut for free. They soon switched it to the Standard Edition, meaning some players got a hold of the Director’s Cut while others have to settle for the Standard Edition.
We're currently investigating an issue that may cause players to be unable to login to Epic Games services.
— Epic Games Store 🎁 (@EpicGames) December 25, 2022
While players can’t get Death Stranding Director’s Cut for free, it is currently available on sale with a 40% discount. The discounted price, coupled with the automatically applied 25% off coupon (part of the Holiday Sale) brings the game’s effective price to ₹1,169.55.
Death Stranding movie will not be a typical Hollywood blockbuster, says Kojima
Death Stranding’s movie is also coming out in the future. It will be financed by Alex Lebovici’s Hammerstone Studios. Kojima and Lebovici will serve as the executive producer for this project.
Kojima announced the Death Stranding movie shortly after Death Stranding 2 was announced at The Game Awards 2022.
Hideo Kojima has opened up more about the confirmed Death Stranding movie. He said to IGN, “I was on video calls with lots of people in Hollywood every week beginning last year, and not just for Death Stranding. I received a lot of offers, but my intention from the start was never to make a blockbuster film. Alex Lebovici from Hammerstone Studios shared my vision with regards to that.”
He added, “There were a lot of pitches to make a large-scale movie with famous actors and flashy explosions, but what good would explosions be in Death Stranding? Making money isn’t something I’m focused on at all, either. I’m aiming for a more arthouse approach, and the only person who offered to make a film like that was Alex Lebovici, which makes me think he’s a rather unusual type.”
No real need to turn games into movies
Kojima elaborated on his ambitious approach for his upcoming movie as he stated, “We haven’t quite decided that yet. The failure of film adaptations of games from a while back has led to a lot of movies that cater to gamers, right? That’s why they have the same kind of look as a game. I don’t want the Death Stranding movie to be like that. Rather, I’m taking the approach of changing and evolving the world of Death Stranding in a way that suits film well.”
“I made Death Stranding to be a game, and games are games. There’s no real need to turn them into films. So in a way, the Death Stranding movie is taking a direction that nobody has tried before with a movie adaptation of a game. I think that what I need to make is something that will inspire some of the people who watch it to become creators 10 or 20 years down the line,” added Kojima.
