Game developer Hideo Kojima, known for his unique and often unconventional approaches to everything he undertakes, recently experienced an unexpected turn with one of his marketing efforts for the upcoming PlayStation 5 title, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. What began as a seemingly straightforward promotional stunt did not immediately resonate as intended.
In an interview with Japanese magazine An-An, Kojima recounted a hands-on marketing campaign conducted in the bustling streets of Tokyo. He and his team from Kojima Productions distributed custom-branded tissue packs for Death Stranding 2. Each pack contained a QR code leading to a rather enigmatic trailer for the game.
While handing out tissue packs might strike some as an unusual advertising method today, it was once a widespread promotional tactic in Japan, much like branding matchboxes in other cultures. The underlying principle is simple: provide passersby with a useful item, which is less likely to be immediately discarded compared to a mere flyer.
Kojima himself acknowledged that this practice was somewhat antiquated. However, he emphasized that the act of physically giving objects to people aligned perfectly with the core themes of his game, which often explore connection and interaction. Despite this thematic relevance, Kojima and his colleagues initially found little success in engaging the public.
“Hardly anyone was willing to take one. Even when I reached out, they wouldn’t take it. They’d walk away without even making eye contact. Some even went out of their way to avoid us, as if they were walking around something dangerous,” Kojima revealed, describing the public`s surprising aversion.
This widespread avoidance of human interaction could be attributed to several factors. The lingering impact of shifting cultural norms following the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the dominance of digital advertising, might have played a significant role. It`s also possible that pedestrians simply had no interest in a video game, especially one as stylistically distinct as Death Stranding.
However, another intriguing possibility cannot be entirely dismissed: some individuals might have recognized Kojima and recalled a previous controversy. Back in 2013, Kojima publicly criticized those who raised concerns about the character Quiet from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, who wore minimal attire. At the time, he famously stated that critics would be “ashamed of [their] words & deeds” once the narrative justification for her clothing was revealed.
Regardless of the precise reason for the initial failure—be it evolving social habits post-COVID, a lack of interest in the game, or a latent sense of shame from past criticisms—Kojima ingeniously reversed the situation. By simply posting about the street stunt on X (formerly Twitter), he created a digital buzz that led to Kojima Productions successfully distributing its entire supply of tissue packs.
Kojima reflected on this outcome, observing: “It was an analog stunt going against the tide of the times, but by fusing it with digital power, we created an even stronger connection.” This statement artfully ties the unexpected success of the marketing campaign back to the foundational themes of connection and bridging divides prevalent in Death Stranding 2.
Looking ahead, Hideo Kojima has a full slate of projects. These include the intriguing Xbox horror game OD and the PlayStation stealth title Physint. The renowned creator of Metal Gear is also among the developers expressing openness to integrating artificial intelligence into game development, describing AI as “more of a friend.”