Kojima tweaks Death Stranding 2 after playtester feedback

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach director Hideo Kojima reportedly altered the game midway through development after playtesters responded "too positively," as he strives to avoid creating mainstream content.

The insight comes from composer Yoann "Woodkid" Lemoine, who collaborated on the sequel's soundtrack. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Lemoine detailed the creative process with Kojima and the unique challenges of scoring for a dynamically evolving gameplay experience.

Most revealingly, he recounted Kojima's unusual reaction to overwhelmingly positive playtest feedback: "That means something is wrong," the legendary designer insisted. According to Kojima, universal approval signifies conventional, pre-digested content - the opposite of his artistic vision.

"There's a key moment where we had a discussion, probably halfway through development, when he came to me and said, 'We have a problem,'" Woodkid explained. Kojima then shared his concern that playtesters enjoyed the game excessively, prompting substantial script revisions and mechanical adjustments to reintroduce emotional tension.

Kojima's philosophy, as recounted by Woodkid: "If everyone likes your work, it's mainstream - it's already formatted for mass consumption. True creative breakthroughs come when players learn to appreciate what initially challenged them."

The composer noted this became a valuable professional lesson about artistic integrity versus popular appeal. "He taught me not to create for approval, but to challenge audiences to expand their perspectives," Woodkid reflected.

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Anticipation builds for Death Stranding 2's June 26, 2025 release. Kojima's multifaceted projects continue expanding - including the A24 live-action adaptation, an upcoming anime series, the PlayStation-exclusive Physint espionage title, and Xbox's innovative OD project he describes as a lifelong ambition.

Recent ESRB disclosures suggest players may wield guitars as weapons, hinting at the sequel's eccentric new mechanics.