UPDATE: Sony has since clarified the exact quote from Kojima, which is “…in American there are a lot of FPS fans, maybe those fans are saying this is like a different game and are not rating it very high.” Original story follows.

Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima reportedly said that the game wasn’t received as well in the U.S. because it “flies higher” than the first-person shooters Americans are “great fans” of. Death Stranding received mixed reviews before its release last week, receiving perfect scores from some critics and scores in the 60’s and 70’s from others.

Kojima expected these mixed reactions, however, saying that, because Death Stranding is a very different game than most triple-A experiences out there, people were bound to be challenged by it. Indeed, while some critics found the game’s indirect social interaction mechanics refreshing and heartwarming, many have found Death Stranding’s unconventional, package-delivering gameplay monotonous. It’s not just critics that have feedback for Kojima, as Death Stranding was review-bombed by fans who accused Kojima of abusing his reputation to to “overhype” the game.

Kojima’s explanation for some of the mixed reviews apparently has something to do with where the reviewers are from. According to a Wccftech translation of an Italian-language interview with publication Tgcom24, Kojima said the reason there were more critical reviews in the United States was perhaps that Death Stranding is “a difficult game to understand” for a certain type of audience. Kojima said American gamers enjoy first-person shooters, which Death Stranding isn’t, and that it “flies higher” than FPS games. Death Stranding’s “very original” nature may have been more appreciated by Italian and French gamers, Kojima continued, because they have a “different artistic sensibility” than Americans.

The fact that Death Stranding is dividing critics and players does seem to be largely due to different artistic sensibilities, with some praising the same elements of the game others criticize most. Many negative Death Stranding reviews focused on the frustrating nature of its mechanics-heavy, point-A-to-B delivery gameplay, while others - like the 5 out of 5 Screen Rant Death Stranding review - found the frustrations refreshing and memorable.

Given Death Stranding’s series of obtuse, confusing trailers and gameplay reveals in the time before it launched, it’s no surprise the game is a strange, divisive experience. Kojima is known for innovation and especially for being very “out there” compared to other major, triple-A game creators, which means his first independent project was probably bound to be something as unique as Death Stranding. Regardless of whether or not a reviewer’s nationality has anything to do with how they interpreted it, it’s clear Death Stranding is not a universally enjoyable game, but it seems Kojima never intended for it to be.

Next: The Craziest Reveals (Spoilers) In Death Stranding

Death Stranding is available now on PlayStation 4. A PC release is coming in summer 2020.

Source: Tgcom24 (via Wccftech)