Kojima designed the online relationships in Death Stranding so…

“That's why I added this indirect online connection in the game — so that people will feel it's alright, it's okay. You're relieved that you're not alone. You see other people's footprints and think it's not just me here.”

“I wanted to provide a different look to it and so I used Iceland as one of the concepts in order to incorporate a bit of surrealism to the world.”

“Coincidence and traveling are very important to living creatures… if we just connect via the internet, we will lose that.”

“On the internet, like in games, we're all competing for a headshot. Of course it's fun, but we're animals and can't live alone. I want people to experience the meaning of connection through Death Stranding's world and its systems.”

“The player is the only one making the connections, so the sense of loneliness is torturous at the start.”