Why Death Stranding Director’s Cut Removed Monster Energy Drinks

Gamescom 2012 revealed a new trailer for the upcoming release of Death Stranding Director’s Cut, and it seems that all inclusions of Monster Energy drinks have been removed from the game. Instead, the brand was replaced with a generic in-universe drink. What exactly could have prompted the change?

The overabundance of product placement in Death Stranding was noted by players as soon as the game launched, and Monster Energy drinks were the most prominent example. It was even a part of Death Stranding‘s gameplay elements. The game’s protagonist could drink them at any point to recover stamina, and there were Monster-themed accessories such as backpacks featured across the game. Presumably, these will also be replaced in Death Stranding Director’s Cut.

Thus far, though, little was shown of Death Stranding Director’s Cut‘s new energy drink aside from the cans featured in the trailer. It did preview quite a bit of new story content, though, as well as additional gameplay features such as motorcycle stunts. It’s unlikely that Death Stranding’s mechanics around energy drinks will change in the wake of Monster Energy’s sponsorship seemingly being removed, but as of right now nothing has been confirmed by the game’s director Hideo Kojima in that regard.

Why Monster Energy Drinks Were Removed From Death Stranding

The most likely reason for Monster Energy drinks being removed from Death Stranding Director’s Cut is that the licensing agreements simply expired. Rather than renewing them or finding another brand to replace it with, the game’s developers likely opted to create an in-universe counterpart to the drinks instead. As no official comments were made on the drink’s absence from the trailer, it remains to be seen if Kojima or the studio will comment on it at all. Additionally, it’s currently unclear whether Death Stranding‘s other brand partnerships are still present in the game or not. It could be that all product placement was removed entirely from the Director’s Cut, perhaps in an effort to make a more immersive Death Stranding experience.

Given the post-apocalyptical nature of Death Stranding‘s setting, many players viewed it as jarring to have such glaring product placement of a typical 21st-century drink. The new drink, which seems to be called “Bridges Energy”, is instead based around a company already present in the narrative of the game. Considering how quietly Monster Energy was removed, though, it doesn’t seem likely that the decision was meant to have a large impact – either story-wise or mechanically – on the game as a whole. Instead, it’s far more probable that the contract between the studio and Monster Energy expired in the time it took to create items and new story content for the Director’s Cut.

Death Stranding Director’s Cut will release on September 24 for PS5.

About The Author

Ky Shinkle
(526 Articles Published)

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Ky Shinkle is a Senior Gaming Features Writer for Screen Rant as well as an overall avid gamer and writer. Her prior experience is primarily that of a narrative designer for video games, although her writing has covered all formats from screenplays and novels to stage scripts. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, when she isn’t writing she works on digital media projects and other types of fiction writing. Ky currently works out of Ohio and enjoys spending her free time either playing RPGs or running with her dog.

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