Death Stranding: Director's Cut is making many changes that improve on the original game. One of these changes is the removal of a product placement, as Monster Energy is nowhere to be found in Death Stranding.
The Director's Cut was announced during PlayStation's State of Play event at the beginning of the summer. Death Stranding: Director's Cut has many differences from the original game, like new PS5 specific features with the DualSense controller, new delivery methods, and many more combat options to deal with those pesky raiders. As a game from the mind of Hideo Kojima, the original Death Stranding features many references and allusions to real life things, from the extensive discography of licensed music (of which there is more in the Director's Cut), to the variety of cameos from game designers and actors that appear throughout the game.
One of Death Stranding's most blatant product placements is its use of Monster Energy, but as originally spotted by VG247, it appears to have been totally removed in the Director's Cut. Death Stranding's package-delivery gameplay is pretty heavily reliant on the stamina of the game's protagonist, Sam Porter Bridges. Stamina influences Sam's ability to actually move throughout the game's multiple environments, and as more cargo is added onto to him, the quicker his stamina decreases. To increase Sam's stamina, players could drink Monster Energy in the original Death Stranding, whenever Sam returns to his quarters at the varying Bridges bases.
While the mechanic is still in place, players are no longer drinking Monster Energy, but the aptly titled "Bridges Energy." The in-game cans are completely branded, featuring a variety of logos and quotes, as well as a full nutritional facts section. It is currently unknown why this change was made. It can perhaps be attributed simply to the original licensing deal having ended, something that happens routinely in the gaming industry. For instance, the upcoming Alan Wake: Remastered is removing product placements from the original game, like with Verizon, Energizer, and many others as such deals have expired.
Product placements always have a strange effect regardless of the medium they are found in. On one hand, they help ground the presumably fictional work in the real world while also helping developers afford to make the game. On the other hand, product placements can rip players from their immersion in a game, like Monster Energy and Death Stranding. It is certainly cool to see the cans in the game, but it certainly was distracting as well.
Death Stranding: Director's Cut launches September 24 on PS5.
Source: VG247
