Report: 'Death Stranding' Enters Polishing Phase, Release Date Announcement May Be Imminent

While the industry and fan chatter has been that Death Stranding, the new game from Metal Gear [...]

By Tyler Fischer

death stranding

While the industry and fan chatter has been that Death Stranding, the new game from Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima, is still a little ways off, a new report suggests it's actually pretty close to shipping.

According to Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, who recently sat down with Hideo Kojima to talk about a myriad of things, Death Stranding has reached the "polishing phase" of development. Further, Kojima has apparently been playing through the entire game and suggesting late improvements.

According to the Japanese outlet, all gameplay elements for the game are in place, and have been since summer 2017. If this is the case, the idea that the game has moved into a polishing phase wouldn't be very surprising, but the fact that we haven't even been teased a release window makes the idea that a release date is close seem odd.

If the report is accurate though -- and there's no reason to believe otherwise, unless there was a simple miscommuncation between the outlet and Kojima -- then we could be seeing Death Stranding next year, maybe as early spring. Though if the latter is the case then a release date announcement would have to be forthcoming soon ... which is where The Game Awards come into play.

Hideo Kojima and Geoff Keighley's bromance is no secret, and the game has featured at the show in the past. And with no PSX this year, it's possible Death Stranding's release date announcement could be made during the show next month.

Alas, who knows what's happening. Working against an imminent release date announcement is also Kojima's track record. He isn't exactly known for pumping out games. However, Metal Gear Solid V was roughly three years from reveal to release. Death Stranding was revealed at E3 2016, so if it's following a similar timeframe of Kojima's last game, it could just release in 2019.

That all said, a release window of 2019 should be taken with a grain of salt. While it certainly seems possible, at this point there's not much collaborative evidence beyond this claim to suggest a release date announcement is on the horizon. Though it's worth noting that Troy Baker -- a voice actor on the project -- revealed that he's done filming, but whether this extends to the rest of the cast, isn't clear.

Death Stranding is in development for PlayStation 4. For more on the game, click here.

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