alt Hacker NewsSuccess is measured in profit for companies and it seems that the numbers of what games like Death Stranding cost compared to what they earned back are not available, so it likely isn't looking rosy.
I'm seeing claims of a cost in the $100M to $300M range, while seeing earnings in the $60M to $120M (as of 2025) range. That's $20M plus in the best case, which is still underwhelming.
This may be the case - although none of us have access to the real figures.
It's also impossible to judge success relative to marketing budget, how well the game was pushed by Sony etc.
Clearly a critical success and an objectively good game however.