If anime adaptations of popular video games have proven anything, they’ve been on the rise in recent years, with Cyberpunk: Edgerunners leading the charge on Netflix. However, Disney Plus now has a killer anime of its own on the way. Confirmed by Hideo Kojima himself, Death Stranding is bringing its new anime to Disney Plus.
The news comes via Kojima Productions’ official website, confirming the plans for Death Stranding Isolations. While the name is a working title, it already has an impressive talent lineup, from the emerging studio E&H Production, to an exciting director turn from Takayuki Sano aka samfree. With the recent sequel’s massive acclaim, this could be a huge hit for Disney Plus.
Disney’s Exclusive Deal for Death Stranding Anime Is a Huge Streaming Win
Disney Plus and the Hulu streaming service have accounted for a great array of anime smash hits like Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, and acclaimed gems like Medalist or Go! Go! Loser Ranger!, but this latest move is an ambitious bet. Death Stranding is enjoying renewed acclaim thanks to its latest game, and anything bearing Kojima’s name will surely attract viewership.
It’s uncertain just how much impact the series will have, however. It’s certainly an attractive exclusive offering, adapting a video game series that has enjoyed far less controversy overall than Cyberpunk 2077 had in 2020. But it’s a compelling comparison, weighing Disney’s Death Stranding Isolations anime against Netflix’s exclusive which set the bar for series of its kind.
This isn’t to say Disney has suddenly won a dominant spot for this anime alone; Netflix still dominates with casuals and hardcore fans alike, clocking billions of anime hours watched. Crunchyroll’s raw selection has everything else beat on legal streaming services. Disney Plus, with or without Hulu, is still growing, and this exclusive series is a big deal.
Disney’s Exclusive Anime Niche Is Growing Every Year
While it’s yet to find its true Bleach replacement once the anime’s finale is over, Disney has built a mighty array of excellent anime on top of multiplatform mainstays. Americans can still stream Nana on the platform unlike anywhere else legally, while still catching Naruto, Attack on Titan, and more like anywhere else.
But Hulu and Disney are home to many of anime’s greatest modern and classic sleeper hits. Hikaru no Go resides there alongside contemporary additions like Catseye, The Fable, and Undead Unluck. The streamer could use a good shot at a hit after the continuously frustrating release of One-Punch Man season 3, but others like Disney Twisted-Wonderland instill hope.
Death Stranding Isolations is an excellent shot at a new and hot series to help Disney’s catalog stand out. It certainly also signals that they’re more aggressively facing Netflix and Crunchyroll, especially while HIDIVE seems to be bleeding series like Oshi no Ko. It’s up to E&H Production to prove if Death Stranding can spark a Disney anime revolution, now.
- Released
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November 8, 2019
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
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Kojima Productions
- Publisher(s)
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Sony, 505 Games
- Engine
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Decima
- Cross-Platform Play
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Yes! Players will share the same server as Steam and Epic users
- Cross Save
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yes
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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yes
