Game developer Hideo Kojima is famous for his unconventional approach to, well, everything he does--but even one of his sillier marketing moves for PS5 title Death Stranding 2: On the Beach didn't immediately hit as intended.
Speaking to Japanese magazine An-An (translated by Automation), Kojima recalled an on-the-ground marketing stunt that he and other Kojima Productions team members carried out in the streets of Tokyo, passing out Death Stranding 2-branded tissue packs that included a QR code for a rather cryptic trailer of the game.
It's a campaign that might sound unusual to some, but passing out tissue packs was once a common advertising tactic in Japan, akin to advertising businesses on matchboxes. The idea here is that passersby are being handed something with functionality instead of simple flyers, which are promptly discarded afterward.
Kojima himself admitted that the practice was outdated, but the act of physically handing objects to people was in line with the themes of his game. Unfortunately for Kojima and his compatriots, no one was biting.
"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 said.
It's fair to attribute that aversion to human interaction to the shifting cultural norms after the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the prevalence of digital advertising. Perhaps pedestrians simply had no interest in a video game, let alone a rather esoteric one like Death Stranding.
But we can't rule out the possibility that any of these folks fully knew who Kojima is and simply chose not to engage. Back in 2013, Kojima publicly chastised critics of his character Quiet from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, who wore little more than a bikini and some tactical gear. The developer famously declared that when those who raised ire over her design realized the story reason for her attire, they would be "ashamed of [their] words & deeds."
Regardless of whether this initial failure was due to changing social habits post-COVID, a lack of interest in a video game, or genuine shame from one's words and deeds, Kojima turned the tide by simply posting on X about the stunt, leading to Kojima Productions fully exhausting its supply of tissues.
"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," Kojima said, tying this story to the themes of Death Stranding 2 in a roundabout manner.
Looking ahead, Kojima has a lot on his plate, with the Xbox horror game OD and the PlayStation stealth title Physint in development. The Metal Gear creator is also one of a few developers expressing openness to the use of AI in game development, calling AI "more of a friend."
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Speaking to Japanese magazine An-An (translated by Automation), Kojima recalled an on-the-ground marketing stunt that he and other Kojima Productions team members carried out in the streets of Tokyo, passing out Death Stranding 2-branded tissue packs that included a QR code for a rather cryptic trailer of the game.
It's a campaign that might sound unusual to some, but passing out tissue packs was once a common advertising tactic in Japan, akin to advertising businesses on matchboxes. The idea here is that passersby are being handed something with functionality instead of simple flyers, which are promptly discarded afterward.
Kojima himself admitted that the practice was outdated, but the act of physically handing objects to people was in line with the themes of his game. Unfortunately for Kojima and his compatriots, no one was biting.
"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 said.
It's fair to attribute that aversion to human interaction to the shifting cultural norms after the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the prevalence of digital advertising. Perhaps pedestrians simply had no interest in a video game, let alone a rather esoteric one like Death Stranding.
But we can't rule out the possibility that any of these folks fully knew who Kojima is and simply chose not to engage. Back in 2013, Kojima publicly chastised critics of his character Quiet from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, who wore little more than a bikini and some tactical gear. The developer famously declared that when those who raised ire over her design realized the story reason for her attire, they would be "ashamed of [their] words & deeds."
(Cont) But once you recognize the secret reason for her exposure, you will feel ashamed of your words & deeds.
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) September 7, 2013
Regardless of whether this initial failure was due to changing social habits post-COVID, a lack of interest in a video game, or genuine shame from one's words and deeds, Kojima turned the tide by simply posting on X about the stunt, leading to Kojima Productions fully exhausting its supply of tissues.
"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," Kojima said, tying this story to the themes of Death Stranding 2 in a roundabout manner.
Looking ahead, Kojima has a lot on his plate, with the Xbox horror game OD and the PlayStation stealth title Physint in development. The Metal Gear creator is also one of a few developers expressing openness to the use of AI in game development, calling AI "more of a friend."
Source