As the days get shorter and the nights longer, combined with the ridiculously wet weather at the moment, getting out of bed any earlier than necessary is no easy feat.
But when one of gaming’s most revered names and accomplished storytellers rolls into London town to tout his most anticipated title…then the snooze button shall remain untouched.
Right in the centre of London’s Camden Market, Sony, Kojima Productions and fashion brand Places + Faces collaborated to provide gaming and garment aficionados alike an immersive experience to kick off the official release of Playstation exclusive (for a bit) ‘Death Stranding’.
To emulate the dreamlike world of a not too distant post-apocalyptic future, we started with an exclusive viewing of a haunting brand-new trailer and unseen concept art presentation as we waited our turn to indulge in this 360° experience.
It is then time to embark on a fully immersive guided tour of this dark, depressing world – full of strange ghostly activity, deadly environmental hazards and rogue armies of mercenaries roaming underground tunnels linking disconnected cities throughout North America.
Our start point is protagonist Sam Porter Bridges’ private quarters, giving a little insight to Sam as an individual, not much but just enough to spark a thirst to know more…
It’s then on to the Baby Bridge, a high-tech laboratory crossed with a nursery as a voice-over explains to us exactly what Bibis (the ‘BABY’ strapped to Sam’s chest) are, and just how important they are to the survival of the remnants of mankind.
Just as understanding is ever so slowly sinking in, all the lights go out and we are thrown into utter darkness.
We are hurried away from this area due to some unforeseen and unexplained catastrophe; finding ourselves in a tunnel in what seems like the aftermath of a battle. The eerie tense atmosphere was then broken after a few minutes as suddenly we were flanked by skeletal commandos packing giant guns and menacing intent in equal measure.
After a few light scares, participants somehow manage to stumble upon the sanctuary that is…the Death Stranding Gift Shop!
Here you could get your hands on limited-edition merchandise from hoodies, t-shirts, hats, figurines, umbrellas, mugs and all the goodies you’d find in any self-respecting repository of branded merchandise. Visitors also got an opportunity to receive a free branded photograph with an impressive statue of Mads Mikkelsen’s mysterious antagonist.
Unfortunately, they decided against stocking copies of the game itself, a real shame if you wanted to do all your Death Stranding shopping under one convenient roof.
This event was the second stop on the Death Stranding World Tour before heading west across the Atlantic. Kojima Himself and Metal Gear Solid Art Director Yoji Shinkawa, both braved the bitter British weather to open the event, spending the entire day meeting and greeting legions of fans desperate to meet their heroes.
Considering this was all a free unticketed event, was there a better way to be introduced to what could become an era-defining, genre-breaking game of the year contender? Likely not.
Lastly, shout out to Circle Agency – the experiential marketing architects of the day, a crew who genuinely brought the world of Death Stranding to life in a gloomy market…if even for a moment.
