Death Stranding has officially gone gold, and you won't need a PS Plus subscription to use its online features

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Tomorrow is closer to being in your hands as Death Stranding goes gold

(Image credit: Hideo Kojima (via Twitter))

Death Stranding has officially gone gold just over a month ahead of its release date on 8 November, 2019. In case you don't know, going gold means that the game has officially reached its final stage of completion and is ready to be shipped out for release. Kojima Productions and Hideo Kojima posted tweets revealing the news with pictures showing Kojima holding the master copy of Death Stranding (featuring signature handprints), and the team behind the game commemorating the moment. 

During PlayStation's recent State of Play, it was announced that Death Stranding is getting a collector's edition PS4 bundle featuring a console with handprints and a BB-inspired controller in a particularly pee-like shade of yellow. Interestingly, recent pre-orders that have surfaced on retail sites show that you won't need a PS Plus subscription in order to use Death Stranding's online features. 

As spotted by MP1st (via VG247), a listing for a limited edition PS4 Pro pre-order on GAME UK's website shows that a PS Plus subscription is not required on the console's box. Death Stranding features a rather different take on online features, with a light online system - kind of like the one featured in Dark Souls - where you can see traces and tracks left behind by other players in the game's world. It also has a "likes" feature where you can essentially approve of the objects other players have left behind.

This is welcome news for anyone who thought they might have to shell out for a subscription this November to get stuck into the "Strand" game. Thanks to our last look at Death Stranding during the Tokyo Game Show 2019, we're finally starting to understand what Kojima Productions "connected" experience is all about... well, at least a little. There was a lot of footage showing Norman Reedus getting up to all kinds of shenanigans, from messing about in front of a mirror, to eating bugs, and taking a dip in a hot spring. For the most part, as with any Kojima game, you'll have to play to really find out.  

Catching up on all things Death Stranding? Here's 54 things you might have missed from the Death Stranding gameplay stream, from blood grenades to Norman Reedus singing in a hot spring. 

Heather Wald
Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at 12DOVE. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good. 

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