Death Stranding 2: On the Beachis the 14th game directed by Hideo Kojima, including the short but masterfully craftedP.T.teaser. He’s had an incredible legacy, delivering not just theMetal Gear Solidseries, which has stood the test of time and remains one of the greatest stealth franchises ever made, but also two lesser-known yet still incredible titles,SnatcherandPolicenauts. Of course, he’s also had his hand in other projects, many of which have also gone on to inspire a future generation of game developers.
Crucially, theDeath Strandinggames mark Kojima’s foray into independent publishing, with him running his own development studio, Kojima Productions. With no oversight from external publishers, namely Konami, Kojima is free to do as he pleases. That’s a great thing, asDeath Stranding 2is one of2025’s highest-rated games, and one I suspect will enjoy an enduring legacy. However, now that it is out and in the hands of the public,many are wondering what is next for the legendary developer. Fortunately, he has several exciting projects in the works.
Death Stranding 2 Has Been In The Works For A While
It Was In Development For At Least Five Years
Death Stranding 2was in development for at least five years, starting all the way back in 2020. Kojima officially announcedDeath Stranding 2in 2022 duringThe Game Awards- although Norman Reedus hadcheekily announced it earlier- stating that he had written the game’s story prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but then rewrote it after having experienced it. Speaking through a translator, Kojima told audiences, “I had the story written before the pandemic, but after experiencing the pandemic, I just rewrote the whole thing,” before joking that he “didn’t want to predict any more futures.”
There’s a good chance, then, thatDeath Stranding 2was in the pre-production phase just afterDeath Strandingreleased in 2019. Kojima later explained in an interview withGQthat he was shooting the beginning scene ofDeath Stranding 2at the start of 2020, but was unable to continue due to restrictions during the pandemic. In fact, he explained thatDeath Stranding 2would likely have been “released in 2023,” had it not been for the pandemic. He told GQ:
“I was trying to shoot the beginning scene ofDeath Stranding 2, where Léa [Seydoux] comes to you, in the spring of 2020. The game would’ve been released in 2023, but I couldn’t scan actors, I couldn’t do the new casting.”
Five years isn’t the longest development time for a video game, especially in the context of the pandemic, butit has pushed Kojima’s other ideas and projects back significantly. He’s spoken numerous times about how he has so many other ideas, but feels he’s running out of time. That’s what caused him topass onDeath Stranding 3, as he’s eager to develop other games and explore new genres. Naturally, that leads to the two projects currently in development at Kojima Productions:ODandPhysint.
Everything We Know About OD
It Is A Collaborative Project With Jordan Peele
ODwas first announcedduring the 2023 Game Awards, andis being developed by Kojima Productions in collaboration with acclaimed horror director and comedian Jordan Peele. It has been confirmed to be a horror game, with its title presumably standing for “Overdose.” Many have compared it to Kojima’s other horror project,P.T, although it sounds far more groundbreaking, with the developer teasing that “it is a game […] but it’s, at the same time, a movie, and at the same time a new form of media” at the2023 Game Awards.
We know thatODis being published by Xbox Game Studios, with Kojima having mentioned that it’ll make use of the company’s cloud streaming technology. Additionally, Kojima teased during the reveal ofODthat he is working with other collaborative partners that he won’t disclose just yet, but that he refers to them as “the Avengers.” That, naturally, all sounds very exciting. Of course, we also know aboutOD’scelebrity-stacked cast, including the following:
Other actors are rumored to be appearing, although they haven’t been confirmed. Elijah Wood,Death Stranding’sown Margaret Qualley, and evenTimothée Chalamet could be inOD. We have yet to see any actual gameplay, as so farOD’sonly trailer features the aforementioned cast members acting out ominous lines of dialogue. Naturally, more will be revealed in the future, and likely at The Game Awards, considering Kojima’s close relationship with the organizer and host, Geoff Keighley.
Everything We Know About Physint
It Is Kojima’s Return To The Espionage Genre
We know even less aboutPhysint, Kojima Production’s other mysterious project, than we do aboutOD, which is saying something. However, there are a few pieces of information surrounding the game, including that it will mark Kojima’s return to the action-espionage genre since 2015’sMetal Gear Solid 5. It was announced during the January 2024State of Playandis being published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, much likeDeath Stranding 2.
It is also possible thatPhysintwill be Kojima’s last game, as he believes he could be too old to continue developing once he’s completed it.
During that announcement,it was announced thatPhysintis a brand-new IP and will be a “next-generation action espionage game.“We also know thatPhysintis five years away, potentially even more, with Kojima wondering in that aforementioned GQ interview “how old will [he] be after [he] finish[es] Physint? Late sixties?” It is also possible thatPhysintwill beKojima’s last game, as he believes he could be too old to continue developing once he’s completed it. While that remains to be seen, it’s still great that he’s continuing to make games today.
It’s Great To Have Kojima Creating Again
He’s Making Some Of His Best Work
Hideo Kojima is undeniably making some of his best work at the moment, especially considering thatDeath Stranding 2is acritically acclaimed masterpiece. However, that almost wasn’t the case asKojima grew very ill during the pandemic, telling GQ that he “thought that [he] could never recover"and that he “felt like [he] might not ever be able to create a game again.” Kojima also suffered from eye pain, which meant that he couldn’t watch films or TV, something he loves to do in his spare time, and struggled during the development ofDeath Stranding 2.
Fortunately, that’s over now, and Kojima is fighting on, despite fears of growing old. He’s at least gotODandPhysintleft before he contemplates the next step in his legendary career, but he’s also written down all of his ideas so that, in theory, Kojima Productions could continue making brilliant games long after he decides to quit. Regardless, ifPhysintandODend up being half as compelling asDeath Stranding 2: On the Beach, then fans are absolutely in for a treat.
Source:thegameawards/YouTube (1),(2),GQ,PlayStation/YouTube
