The director’s cut of Death Stranding just launched on Xbox Series X/S

After developer Kojima Productions took ownership of the IP, the director’s cut of Death Stranding has made an unexpected yet official debut on Xbox Series X/S consoles and Amazon Luma. The surprise launch coincides with the game’s fifth anniversary and will only cost players £18.

The director’s cut of Death Stranding is Hideo Kojima’s first title since leaving Konami. 505 Games, Death Stranding’s publisher, announced that the game is available at a 50% discount on Steam and Epic on Xbox consoles. 

The game has officially launched on Xbox Series X/S unexpectedly. Gamers can now get access to it for only £18. 

Kojima Productions claims full ownership of Death Stranding’s IP

The game’s ports launched after developer Kojima Productions claimed full ownership of the game’s IP and increased the chances that the game may be available on more platforms in the future.

Hideo Kojima announced in a press release that he was grateful to the fans and the Xbox community for patiently waiting for the game’s arrival on the consoles. He also assured the fans that Death Stranding will continue to link more players worldwide.

“I would like to thank all the fans who have stayed connected with us as well as everyone in the Xbox community who have been patiently waiting. Kojima Productions (Death Stranding) will continue to connect more and more players around the world, so please stay tuned.”

Hideo Kojima

The game publisher 505 Games announced that November 8th will mark Death Stranding’s fifth anniversary since it first launched on November 8th, 2019, as a PlayStation 4 exclusive. However, the game’s director cut launched on PlayStation 5 in 2021 before finding its way to PC consoles in early 2022.

Death Stranding is now available on Amazon Luna

The game is now available on Xbox consoles and also supports Xbox Play Anywhere, which implies that gamers can get the PC version of the game and cross-save support at no expense. 505 Games also shared a separate announcement informing fans that the game was available on Amazon Luna. The announcement falls in line with Kojima’s promise to make the game accessible to more players globally.

The gameplay involves players making deliveries and supplies to different locations. Norman Reedus stars as Sam Bridges, a porter who works to connect isolated settlements to the ‘Chiral Network’ to reform America. During the delivery trips, players face different challenges, including navigating harsh terrain, fighting supernatural enemies, and a formidable antagonist known as Higgs (Troy Baker).

On the other hand, Kojima is also working on the game’s sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which is scheduled for official release sometime in 2025. The sequel will be exclusive for PS5, but that could be subject to change before the official release. 

Kojima is best known for his involvement in the Metal Gear franchise. However, he parted ways with Konami after a fallout between the two parties ensued. Konami has since shown interest in resuscitating its support of the brand with a debut of Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 and a forthcoming remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.