Kojima Productions has acquired Death Stranding IP Rights, which could mean that the series is only going to get more insane.

No director is responsible for the artistic vision of their team, whether it's in a video game production or anywhere else. Hideo Kojima is currently the only man who has more freedom to express his creative vision. And that freedom just got wider. Kojima Productions - the studio Kojima founded in 2015 after he left Konami - announced yesterday that it had purchased the intellectual property rights for its Death Stranding franchise from publisher 505 Games.

"Kojima Productions continues its focus on bringing its award-winning IP Death Stranding to new platforms and audiences," said the studio in an announcement made to coincide with the five-year anniversary of Death Stranding’s original 2019 release exclusively for PS4. It then made its way to PC in 2020, followed by its Director’s Cut edition in 2022). It's currently on sale for 50% off on Steam and Epic Games to celebrate the occasion.

Death Stranding marks the second IP that 505 Games will relinquish in 2024 to its creators. Remedy Entertainment signed an $18.4-million deal with 505 in February. The studio received all rights to Control, Control 2 and the recently-released FPS multiplayer spinoff FBC Firebreak.

Death Stranding 2 is in the works. We're still waiting for word on when PC players will be able to take Sam on a trek across new postapocalyptic hillsides, but Death Stranding 2 On the Beach should be released by Sony on PlayStation 5 in 2025. A Death Stranding movie is also in production, a collaboration between A24 and the film producer/distributor that brought us hits like Midsommar or Everything Everywhere at Once.

Kojima will be the one to steer Death Stranding in any direction they choose. The IP rights are now in their hands, so there are no more limitations. Death Stranding should only get weirder.