The Epic Games Store struggled to cope as users attempted to grab Death Stranding for free.
The best price something than be is free, and eager gamers proved that when Epic Games Store faced server crashed and technical issues throughout Christmas Day and beyond as the platform offered Death Stranding for free. Hideo Kojima’s high-production masterwork was put on sale for the low price of absolutely nothing at 8:00 am PT, Dec. 25, and subsequently caused the Epic Games store servers to buckle.
From 8:00 am onwards, gamers reported crashes, slow load times, no ability to redeem the game, and server errors from Epic Games. The Epic Games subreddit was inundated with reports of people unable to log in and grab their game.
What’s more, an error originally seemed to offer the more recently released Death Stranding Directors cut and DLC for free, rather than the base game. This appears to have been a mistake, and those that redeemed or attempted to redeem the Directors Cut were unable to get their copy. However, some early birds did managed to grab the incorrectly listed version.
What is Death Stranding?
Developed by legendary video game icon Hideo Kojima, Death Stranding is seen by some as a boring walking simulator, and others as a genre-bucking masterpiece. While the game was released in 2019, its incredible graphics have held up. And its popularity has been helped by the release of a Director's Cut and the announcement of a sequel at the Game Awards.
The game follows Sam Porter Bridges, a delivery man, or “porter” who must “bridge” the gap across an post-apocalyptic USA that looks suspiciously like the Icelandic wilderness. On his travels, he meets characters such as Die-Hardman, who has survived incredible odds, and Heartman, a man whose heart stops every 21 minutes. The game is not so subtle in its metaphors, which is a staple of Hideo Kojima’s works. Clearly the game director doesn’t not believe in his audiences abilities to understand all but the most oblique references.
However, regardless of this, the game is a beautiful and atmospheric game that is definitely worth experiences. Especially if its free. And its clear many epic game users thought the same.
Death Stranding remains free on the Epic Game Store until 8:00 am, Dec 26.