Do you remember last year when Metal Gear man Hideo Kojima toured the world with PlayStation 4 architect Mark Cerny searching for an engine to run Death Stranding on? The auteur's voyage spanned America and Europe, stopping at every single one of Sony's first-party studios, including Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, and Media Molecule.

But it's Guerrilla Games in Amsterdam where the legend found what he was looking for: the Decima Engine. The story goes that the studio handed the veteran the source code to Horizon: Zero Dawn's technology on the spot, and a relationship between the two developers was instantly forged. These days, the new Kojima Productions has assembled a satellite studio in the Netherlands, and the two teams are working in unison on the technology.

And I'm not surprised: with the exception of perhaps EA's Frostbite, the ex-Killzone maker has surely constructed one of the most impressive game engines in the industry right now. The technology is capable of streaming high-quality assets at a near-4K resolution with tons of graphical effects and great lighting across huge expanses without the need for loading times. It's definitely awe-inspiring stuff, as you'll see when you play the game.

But all of this just has me even more excited for Death Stranding. By the time that game releases, both Guerrilla Games and Kojima Productions will have had plenty of time to iterate on what it's already got, and I'm confident it's going to raise the bar all over again. The first couple of trailers alone have demonstrated just how impressive the title's character models are going to be.

Any anticipation is, of course, tempered by the fact that the PS4 exclusive is little more than a concept right now; development is only just beginning in earnest as we speak. But if my theory is correct, and the title's going to be about some kind of limbo where people from different time periods are all pulled together, then the potential for this project is through the roof. And, while he's not flawless, when's the last time Hideo Kojima failed to deliver something at least of interest?

I don't know, Guerrilla Games is a special studio, so maybe I shouldn't associate what Horizon: Zero Dawn has achieved with what Death Stranding could achieve. But playing through the role-playing game I couldn't help but consider what a strong basis the Decima Engine is going to be for Kojima Productions' first game. And given that the concept alone is so intriguing, I absolutely can't wait until the Japanese developer has more to show.


Has the Horizon: Zero Dawn's use of the Decima Engine increased your anticipation for Death Stranding? Is it still too early for you to get excited for Hideo Kojima's next game? Clutch a baby in the comments section below.