Death Stranding is five years old, and its rights have been delivered back to Kojima Productions.
Director Hideo Kojima revealed the news today, telling press (like IGN) his studio now has full ownership of the IP from original publisher 505 Games. To further mark the occasion, Kojima Productions has released the game’s Director’s Cut on Xbox Series X|S and Amazon Luna.
In Kojima’s announcement, he affirmed the studio would bring the Death Stranding property “to more platforms and audiences.” Last year, he revealed his company was working with A24 on a live-action film that will explore the titular Death Stranding event.
Death Stranding originally released in November 2019 on the PlayStation 4, followed by Windows and PlayStation 5 in 2020 and 2021. It was the first game from Kojima following his public split from Konami with the Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
The game saw critical acclaim with its initial release, and many noted how it became unexpectedly timely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commercially, Death Stranding has sold 5 million copies, as of mid-2021. Kojima Productions recently noted it’s earned 19 million players across PlayStation consoles and PC, and a sequel is currently in production for the PlayStation 5.
This is also the second IP that 505 Games has relinquished this year. In February, Remedy Entertainment took full ownership of its supernatural title Control as part of its push to turn that game into a larger franchise—which presently spans a sequel, a multiplayer spinoff, and potential film or TV adaptation.