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.
Comments 14
Call me in a year. When nothing turns in something (and I'm being optimistic here).
I would partly agree with this soapbox, if you added a 'potential' at the end of the title. Remaster in a year and you could drop it from the title.
Call me in 10 years when Kojima makes an actual game and stops telling us what it ISNT.
Well I was going to make a comment about waiting, but the 3 above me have it covered. I hope your hype burns eternal Sammy, you've got awhile to wait. Kojima will no doubt deliver something interesting, I'm sure.
I can kinda see where this is coming from, even if Horizon and Death Stranding are I'm assuming two completely different games. Since Kojima games try to push technology, and if Horizon is as good as it's said to be, then there could be something really great in Death Stranding technology wise.
Of course, as the comments above and below say, the game is nowhere near finished. But this is an interesting detail that I will agree increases it's potential.
@DerMeister I agree this is defi itely potential but there is a danger of technology advancing beyond what Kojima is working with now if it takes too long and it loses its luster compared to newer tech.
But using this engine is certainly intriguing. Be nice to see it do different settings.
And i do get where @get2sammyb is coming from. Im not a graphics guy but I do squeel if something uses the Hedgehog Engine.
The engine looks great and well done to Guerilla.
My personal feeling is that Death Stranding generates interest because of Kojima and people will always want to pore over any details of his projects but Death Stranding is just too far away to even discuss.
In the last year and a bit since the official leave from Konami he has had to create his own development studios and satellite offices, decide on the game, do all the promo work for the game and has only just started active development. This game could be many years away from launch. I will be excited when we see solid gameplay and have at least a solid launch year teased.
I think the constant press Kojima is whipping up will be detrimental to the game itself.
Of course its way too early to assess whether Death Stranding is a good game or not. It could look great but still be a poor game. The character models look great but when Kojima builds the rest of the environment and all the animations etc into it, maybe they will be 'downgraded' a bit to work.
I still have no idea about what the game will be, what type of game-play we will expect, what the story is or even a vague idea of the plot. Its just a couple of CGi type videos that really don't tell us anything and therefore I can't say I am excited. Visually those trailers were impressive but as for a game, I really don't know. I don't know those trailers would interest me as a 'movie' let alone a game
Seeing the decima engine is very impressive, graphics and performance wise, maybe sony others 1st party studio should use it. EA only use 1 engine for their game and the result is excellent, battlefield 1 graphics is really good, it's 60 fps too.
Kojima, as anyone who has had the pleasure of playing MGS3: Snake Eater (subsistence) and MGS5 to a lesser extent, will deliver a unique title regardless of the tech used.
It's important to enjoy what is quality in the here and now though, as opposed something to wish for 2 years or even 3 from now which is currently nothing more than a tech demo, despite the calibre of developer. But that is a general grievance I have re not smelling today's roses, no offence Sammy 😬
We can speculate when Kojima has given us something to preview, but it's best to do that when the game is on the Horizon with playable build, not a twinkle in the parents' eyes..!
To be fair, I said all of the stuff you guys are "calling me out on" in the article. The point I'm trying to make is that the Decima Engine is a great starting place for Kojima's new game.
Creative Kojima with awesome Decima Engine. It sure has potential. This is a game to pay attention to when new, more in depth, content surfaces.
Even though we don't know much yet, it COULD become a masterpiece.
Well, at least Kojima has an engine he can start out with instead of having to build one from the ground up. That would make Death Stranding take even longer.
@hadlee73 Clearly both Guerrilla and Kojima Productions are going to keep improving it. There are employees from Guerrilla at Kojima Productions right now, presumably to discuss Decima.
I'm super stoked for Horizon, but I'm frankly not feeling Death Stranding at all. The reliance on big-name actors is usually a good sign that a game is probably not for me, no matter how technically impressive it might be.
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