hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... the environment agency says flooding still poses a danger to life in south yorkshire, with seven severe flood warnings in place along the river don. the conservatives lay out plans to train and employ thousands more gps, despite failing to meet a previous recruitment target. labour and the liberal democrats promise more hours of free child care — but providers are sceptical overfunding. germany marks 30 years since the fall of the berlin wall with a call for people to stand up forfundamental values. now on bbc news... the legendary japanese game creator hideo kojima explains his new game death stranding to newsbeat‘s steffan powell...

death stranding, one of the most hotly anticipated games in years. the first title from legendary metal gear creator, kojima productions, since setting up his own company. people haven't seen that stuff before. we've had a unique insight into how he works, from coming up with the concept and writing the story to directing every detail of the music, design and composition. this is how hideo kojima makes his games. we visited once before, in 2016, when this was a brand—new

studio. i think it is going to be something really special. now we are back as the only people in the world being allowed behind—the—scenes to see the team here in tokyo put the finishing touches on a title that has had the games industry scratching its head for three years. i forgot how bright it was in here! i first walked into this room about 2.5 years ago. kojima productions had been up and running for matter of months. death stranding, it was just a short and a strange trailer, to be honest. now, the game isjust hours away from being finished and we are here to see it go gold, which basically means it is ready for release. game studios do not usually let cameras poke around the office before the title comes out but

something tells us this studio wants this game to have a message. 0ne they do not want to get lost in the mystery surrounding the release. the first thing on the agenda is to find out if we are right. what better way to do that than to sit down with the man himself?

there's a focused intensity about the place. people getting the last things done before the game is finished and sent off to be sold in shops. downloaded all over the world. i want to see what is going on and stick my nose in places. hi, it's nice to meet you. thank you very much. so, what are you working on here? i am checking different parts of the rendering, seeing if there are any flaws in it. at this stage in the process, with the game just about to be finished, is this where you are at your busiest? right now, we're just checking for bugs in the game. a month ago, that's the time limit for the artist to finish

their work, that was the busiest for them. what you see on screen is obviously a major part of the game success. obviously a major part of the game success. but what you hear is important too. for death stranding, there's one man in charge of all of that. good morning, how are you doing? are you all right? i'm good. thank you for your time. right now, i'm basically making the rough mix for the launch trailer. you can see it up. usually, i get something from hideo andi it up. usually, i get something from hideo and i react to that, this time he is reacting off of me which is also interesting. i've been sitting with him and giving a few pointers as to what i'm hearing in my head when i wrote the music, like, shouldn't there be more cuts here, and so on. of course he is in charge of everything, but it is fun to see something being built, a part of what you already did, instead of the other way around. this is the main

vocal theme of the game. when did you write that? i finished writing it in december last year, it's been nine months since i wrote it. hideo wa nted nine months since i wrote it. hideo wanted a lullaby theme for sam and also left to be humming both in the game and in cut scenes —— left. it came from having a simple theme, which is heard throughout the game and in other tracks as well. i need to do this rough mix and make sure that we do not have anything embarrassing by 3pm today, when we will watch it altogether. i will do that. i'd better leave you to it, if you have a three o'clock deadline! tell me, sam, what does america mean to you? with weeks to go before it is released, loads of people are still asking, what is death

stranding? still asking, what is death stranding ? what still asking, what is death stranding? what is it all about? i tell you what, let's find out... in classic hideo kojima style, it is difficult to explain. a traditional genre does not really cover it. it blends travel, role—play and action together, delivering messages to reconnect —— reconnect a broken world. it's a game of choice and actor management and one that has players interacting in a unique way. i got the chance to play the game too, but more on that later... todayis today is a good day. thanks for your help!

to put it mildly, hideo kojima is a big deal in the gaming world. his first title, metal gear, came out in 1987. the first game was made on this device... it was the start of a

near 30 year relationship with the publisher, konami. when the next instalment arrived in 1988, then band who made stealth games popular was secure. it became iconic and had a reputation for innovation. his last title, solid five, released in 2015, brought true open world gaming into the series and following that... hideo kojima announced that he was leaving konami. he worked at konami for 30 years. his name is pretty much synonymous with konami at the time. his departure paved the way for kojima productions to become independent and work started on death stranding. since the first trailer in 2016, we've learnt little

bits about the game and who is involved. we were asked to write a song into our style. #we song into our style. # we bathed and we borrowed # we bathed and we borrowed # what would become of us all? # questions were raised online as to whether giving him too much freedom would be good for the game. editors exist for a reason and i think at least at konami there were people around who would help him know. plenty of gamers are hoping death stranding would bring innovation to the industry today like the original metal gear did 30 years ago. this game felt a lot more human and is encouraging connection and community and working together with others.- knows how to use gaming as a concept and push beyond technologically. i know that what he does, nobody else could do. in the studio, everyone is

slowly gathering together, even the lights have been dimmed and there is an airof tense lights have been dimmed and there is an air of tense excitement as eve ryo ne an air of tense excitement as everyone in the company comes together to watch the final trailer. did you it done in time? yes, hideo kojima did a lot of edits, i had about 30 minutes, i hope i didn't screw it up! i'm sure you didn't! this is a rough edit of the fairly lengthy, it's about eight minutes, launch trailerfor the lengthy, it's about eight minutes, launch trailer for the game. i'm letting the more important people go to the front, they've worked on it so to the front, they've worked on it so they deserve to see it. i will stay at the back! laughter it's ok. i'll always be with you.

come and find me. applause it is quite a big moment for people here, they haven't seen any of that stuff before. the lights are bright now! that is being used to sell the game to people all over the world. they obviously liked it. it might have been a hit with the staff, but straight after the viewing, hideo is back at the video editing desk making changes.

hideo kojima is now going to work with ludvig forssell, in charge of the sounds, to nail the trailer. they've got to get this done soon. freeze!

it is intense to watch, but there is no messing around. in under ten minutes, he's been through the entire trailer, given his feedback, and is back out talking to another member of the team. well done, good job! that's how we deal! the pressure is off now, for a little bit! yeah, if you minutes! thank you. -- a few minutes. we've just left the studio, our work is pretty much done for the night, not so much for the guys there. they will be therefore a while yet. they are pretty busy, to be honest. when i was coming over here, i knew there wasn't any jeopardy the game would not be finished in time, there would be something ready for release. but what has been an eye—opener is how much work is left to do after they have technically finished the game. things like sorting out the bugs and

the kinks, and making the trailer and coming up with merchandise. i assumed a lot of that stuff would be outsourced, but it is not. i was expecting an end of season feeling in the studio, but actually, they are in the studio, but actually, they a re really in the studio, but actually, they are really busy and there is tonnes of stuff left to do... part of the reason this team has so much left to do is because nearly all of death stranding is being made here, in house. the cinematics team is responsible for all the cut scenes and as you would expect in a hideo kojima game, there are plenty of those. over seven hours, kojima game, there are plenty of those. overseven hours, in kojima game, there are plenty of those. over seven hours, in fact. and that's without all of the videos and stills that are used to promote the game.

that is the poster sorted, but what about this first attempt at a teaser trailer? and with that, shall we say quite direct feedback delivered, hideo kojima is off to see someone else. sol kojima is off to see someone else. so i popped into his chair. what is it like with working with hideo

kojima? thank you, good luck! the studio is a hive of activity today. hello, nice to meet you. just as we are finishing our chat, over on the other side of the studio, one of the actuals from the game is here to have a look. she is about to meet her in game character for the first time. people have quickly started

gathering around the middle of the office again. having been here for a while, i'm getting the hang of it. this means that something is about to happen... applause laughter applause with a bit of theatricals thrown in, you can forgive that, though, this isa you can forgive that, though, this is a big moment for kojima productions. gold master approval means they now have a version of death stranding that they and sony are happy to sell to people on release day.

that was a pretty big highlight for the team and next, a pretty big highlight for me. since 2016i've been wondering what death stranding is like to play and now, i'm about to find out... that's the basic, make sure that you don't for! i will try not to die! who better to show me how it is done... it really is a cinematic experience that sometimes is like being on an adventure in iraq and chanted, and others like sneaking past zombies in the last of us. “— sneaking past zombies in the last of us. —— adventure in enchanted. that is part of the mechanic, isn't it? since the first experience of the game, since the first experience of the a since the first experience of the game, i've gone on to play for a

further a0 hours or so. it is a title full of moments of high drama that leaves you on the edge of your seat. i found interacting that leaves you on the edge of your seat. ifound interacting with that leaves you on the edge of your seat. i found interacting with a shared online environment is really rewarding even if my role as a gamer is to complete the missions. delivering messages over rough terrain will not be for everyone, it could be tedious for repetitive players who are used to games with a faster pace of action. this rewards patience and investment. thank you very much. fantastic! with just one withjust one more with just one more day left in the studio, and now with a much better idea of what the game is and what it is hoping to achieve, i've been thinking about how much is riding on this release for hideo kojima and the team. our local producer loves his games, and he has played all of

the metal gear series. on the journey into the studio for the last time, i asked journey into the studio for the last time, iasked him how hideo journey into the studio for the last time, i asked him how hideo kojima is perceived here injapan. time, i asked him how hideo kojima is perceived here in japan. maybe he is perceived here in japan. maybe he is one of the most famous game creators here injapan. is one of the most famous game creators here in japan. because japan has loads of, you know, more famous game creators than elsewhere because of nintendo and stuff and you would say that hideo kojima is up you would say that hideo kojima is up there? definitely, on that list. he is kind of different to the other people. he has more of a celebrity status. yeah. his games are different because they are heavily based on reality. he always seems to have a social message on his games. even though it would be a risk for game studios to be known for anything than being this secretive but because it is his studios, people buy his games. we've been in the studios for a few days together. do you think gamers are giving him

more leeway because of the work he has done before? definitely. definitely. we have clearly seen that hideo kojima is the overall visionary for this game. good morning. nice to see you again. but he does have a carefully selected core tea m he does have a carefully selected core team around him. the art director is right at the top. the two has worked together since metal gear solid since the 19905. there is so gear solid since the 19905. there is so much competition for peoples attention, how do you draw people into spending time with this game and in this world, with your work on the characters? the main focus is not on getting as much attention as possible but trying to develop a character that i5 trying to develop a character that is interesting for us. that is cool.

i'm sure there are students that focus on developing characters and market research on what will be perceived well out there but for us, it is more about creating a character that is fun for us. thank you very much. look at that! it looks exactly like me!

# lets make a toast, waiting for tomorrow # when we played out... # with the game officially finished, the studio is putting on a party.

they sent the cake over. there are still they sent the cake over. there are 5till bit5 they sent the cake over. there are 5till bits for the team to tidy up and perfect but after all of the ha rd and perfect but after all of the hard work and the undoubtably long hours, this is a chance to celebrate with a special guest. one of the big bosses at sony. so, this has been an experience like no other i've had in a gaming studio before. it is a company based around one man, fairenough, before. it is a company based around one man, fair enough, you don't have to work hard to guess that, the clue is in the title but having been here the last few days and seeing how involved he is in everything that happens here, from the big conceptual stuff to the smallest, tiniest detail, the nitty—gritty

like where a drum hits in the music ofa like where a drum hits in the music of a trailer, it is really rare, i think. so, the question is, i suppose, is that the best way to make games in this day and age? it's a question only the people who have played death stranding will be able to answer, if all of this hard work has paid off. # you can take my heart # you can take my heart # and hold it together as we fall apart# cheering hello. today got off to a cold and

frosty start. it did not warm up match. some of us had more rain, and not just match. some of us had more rain, and notjust rain. there was snow there. into the welsh hills and shropshire, a wintry picture for some time today. thankfully, we haven't seen huge amounts of new rainfall. those areas seeing the worst of the flooding that severe flood warnings on the website with details of those areas most affected. this is where rain is sitting overnight. across parts of england, the southern half of england and wales, is in intensity. snow mixed in with this. northern ireland turning drive. i see. ice on untreated surfaces. it turns cold and frosty here. largely clear skies. low pressure which brought today's rain is pulling southwards. we are in a gap between weather systems. as for remembrance sunday, it is looking much quieter.

fog patches in southern parts with a good deal of cloud. patches of rain to begin the day. clearing southwards as it brightens. in eastern scotland and england, they might catch the shower that most places will be dry. pout in northern ireland in the afternoon, it will feel a bit warmer. —— mcleod. sunshine is still on the chilly side. turning wetter in the evening in northern ireland. this weather system in northern ireland. this weather syste m m oves in northern ireland. this weather system moves in. snow to the hills of scotland. a wintry start to monday morning. here, snow on the ground, on the higher roots, not falling because the weather system is pulling away. temperatures head up is pulling away. temperatures head up overnight. the last of the rain clearing from south—eastern parts on monday. behind, sunshine, showers and plenty of these packing in across the north—west of the uk. wintry on higher ground. a blustery day on monday. feeling chilly in the stronger wind and then, looking at

the big picture, low pressure is close by. going from monday to tuesday, some but gradually on tuesday, some but gradually on tuesday they will be easing. showers are easing on tuesday but then another wet with the system comes in from the atlantic. that is coming in on wednesday.

this is bbc world news today. our top stories... fireworks, music and celebrations at the brandenburg gate for the 30th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. chancellor angela merkel makes this plea on democracy and freedom. translation: the cannot be taken for granted are the need to be lived undefended day after day. around two million people in eastern india and bangladesh told to leave their homes as a powerful cyclone makes landfall. at least four protestors are killed in baghdad as security forces move in on anti—government demonstrations in iraq. and coming up... two of the biggest youtube stars face off in what could be one