Celebrity game director Hideo Kojima had been working with Konami for decades, building up the Metal Gear Solid franchise. He recently went out on his own with Kojima Productions, releasing their first massive indie game, Death Stranding.
The game may have been considered divisive when it was released, but several critics have since considered it a masterpiece, and a sequel is underway. After five years of Death Stranding, Kojima takes time to celebrate the milestone of his passion project.
Death Stranding 5th Anniversary
Kojima recently posted on his socials a celebration of the fifth anniversary of DS.
In the announcement, Kojima celebrates that over 19 million porters of the game have been worldwide five years since its release. He doesn’t go into much detail about the sequel, but he confirms that DS2 is currently in a critical development phase.
He says, “You all have continued to play the game a long time and I am thankful for that. We’re working on Death Stranding 2 right now. As I’ve mentioned on social media, right now is the most critical phase. We are building up the game. I have a great feeling about it right now, and I am confident it will be a good piece of work. We haven’t announced the release date yet, but please look forward to it.”
There is also a video released celebrating all the fans who have played the game over the years:
What Do We Know about Death Stranding 2: On the Beach?
Just like with the first game, the narrative is kept vague for the sequel's marketing, but from what fans can piece together, Sam is now out of the USA (or what was left of it) and on a vessel with the goal of connecting the rest of the world to each other.
The game introduces a new crew that will help Sam on his mission and a talking doll that Sam can hang on his person. The doll provides humorous commentary and exposition while Sam goes on missions.
One interesting and specific reveal for the game is the photo mode. In true Kojima fashion, the photo mode for the game has been made different. Instead of being able to freeze the game and move the camera around, Death Stranding 2’s photo mode will consist of a real in-world camera, and the characters will pose for Sam when he points the camera at them.
Moreover, the game has also managed to mimic the imperfect lighting that can be expected of cameras, giving photo mode a very realistic feel. There is also said to be a board where the players can post their in-world photographs.
It’s unclear when Death Stranding 2 will make its next big reveal, but fans may expect a release date before the year ends—probably around the time of The Game Awards.
No release date has been set for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, but fans expect it to launch sometime next year.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Death Stranding page.