After some brief speculation, the official

">Xbox PC Game Pass Twitter account has confirmed that Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding will join the service next week.

When the official Twitter account for PC Game Pass updated its profile picture to a landscape reminiscent of the hills from Death Stranding, it sparked an instant debate amongst the community. Many thought it would be impossible for Kojima's hit game to join the service as it was originally launched as a PlayStation exclusive, with Sony Interactive Entertainment owning the rights to IP.

However, many countered this argument by pointing out that the recently released PC version of Death Stranding was published by 505 Games and not Sony. But now the speculation can be put to rest as Sam Porter Bridges delivers a special package to PC Game Pass next week.

As per a press release sent to DualShockers, Death Stranding will hit the PC version of Xbox Game Pass on Tuesday, August 23rd at 12AM UTC / 5PM PT / 8PM ET. The official statement reads, "Global publisher 505 Games in partnership with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS, today announce the upcoming arrival of DEATH STRANDING on Game Pass for PC. The original version of Hideo Kojima’s critically-acclaimed and genre-defying epic lands on the Microsoft ecosystem for the first time, available to audiences who are subscribed to the PC version of Xbox Game Pass".

Death Stranding was first released for the PlayStation 4 back in 2019, and was the first title by Hideo Kojima's new studio, Kojima Productions, following the developers' split from Konami in 2015. A PC version was then released in 2020, followed by the release of a 'Director's Cut' version for the PlayStation 5 last year.

A sequel is also in development, as confirmed by the game's protagonist, Norman Reedus. In an interview earlier this year, Reedus stated that they've "just started work on the second one". The sequel is likely to be many years away, given the scope of the original game, as well Kojima rumoured to be hard at work on a new cloud-based game for Xbox.

Death Stranding is unlikely to ever hit the console version of Xbox Game Pass, but if you're a subscriber of the PC version, now's your chance to experience another mind-bending adventure from the mind of Hideo Kojima.