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Kojima Productions delays Death Stranding PC version due to coronavirus closure

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The PC version of Death Stranding is no longer releasing June 2, 2020, as Kojima Productions temporarily shuts down during the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the brief development setback, the PC port of Death Stranding will now release on July 14, 2020, on Steam and the Epic Games Store. The extra month and a half will allow the team to fully comply with current pandemic regulations in Japan. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency on April 7 and suggested nonessential employees work from home, stopping for short of a mandatory order.

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The Tokyo-based studio also briefly closed in March after an employee tested positive for coronavirus. Current guidelines didn’t force Kojima Productions to close following the test because the employee wasn’t in the office when symptoms appeared. However, Kojima Productions took extra health precautions and has since reopened, with employees working from home.

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Following the temporary closure of KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS, we have had to delay the PC launch of DEATH STRANDING to July 14, 2020, to allow more development time amidst the current work-from-home orders in place. Thank you all for your patience and continued support!#keeponkeepingon pic.twitter.com/euOmebcdQj

— KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS (Eng) (@KojiPro2015_EN) April 21, 2020

The Death Stranding PC release will feature a photo mode, a higher frame rate than the console version, ultra-wide monitor support, and exclusive Half-Life-based content. Players can equip a headcrab helmet on protagonist Sam Porter Bridges and wear the gloves from Half-Life: Alyx.

Every copy of the port will also come with a digital art book, Ludvig Forssell’s original soundtrack for Death Stranding, and several in-game bonuses. Players will be able to rock Ludens Mask sunglasses and gain access to a gold and silver power skeleton and an all-terrain skeleton.  Those that pre-order will get HD wallpapers, an omnireflector cap, and a gold-and-silver speed skeleton.

With funding and development help from Sony, Death Stranding initially released as a timed PlayStation 4 exclusive in November 2019. Prior to launch, Kojima Productions revealed it would come to PC ine summer 2020.

The celebrity-filled game stars “The Walking Dead” actor Norman Reedus in its chief role and features Mads Mikkelsen, Guillermo del Toro, and even Conan O’Brien as supporting characters. Director Hideo Kojima’s first game since leaving Konami in 2015, it found success at the 2019 Game Awards, winning Best Game Direction, Best Music, and Best Performance.

According to the NPD Group, Death Stranding had a successful launch on PS4 and was the seventh best-selling game of November 2019, falling behind only Call of Duty, Star Wars, Pokémon, and Madden games.

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Tyler Treese
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