Death Stranding 2: On The Beach release date; Hideo Kojima’s pandemic-inspired sequel coming soon

Legendary Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima returns to the PlayStation stage with Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, the much-anticipated sequel to his genre-bending 2019 release. The game drops on June 26, and this time, it’s got something even more ambitious packed in its eccentric delivery system: a soul-searching response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Death Stranding 2 delivers a post-pandemic vision of hope and humanity

Backed by his independent studio, Kojima Productions, and fronted once again by The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus as Sam Porter Bridges, the new game continues the strange and stirring tale of reconnecting a fractured world. The difference? This one’s personal. Speaking at the Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles earlier this month, Hideo revealed that while he had originally mapped out the sequel, the pandemic pushed him to start over. “The social situation was that everyone was divided,” he said. “I said, ‘let’s get connected.’ Right after that, the pandemic happened – and my fiction became reality.” He completely rewrote the story in response.

Set in a world still reeling from devastation, the sequel now spans across Mexico and Australia, inviting players into new terrains and dangers. Like the original, which mixed hiking-sim aesthetics with sci-fi horror, On The Beach blends gameplay with meditation on life, death, and the desperate need for human connection. Lea Seydoux reprises her role in 3D, while new cast members include Elle Fanning and none other than George Miller, the visionary behind Mad Max: Fury Road. The soundtrack is composed by Woodkid, adding his signature cinematic melancholy to Hideo’s wild world-building.

Hideo’s fusion of storytelling, celebrity, and game design continues to stretch the limits of the medium. The first Death Stranding was divisive but has since clocked over 20 million players. It’s also heading to the big screen, with a feature film in development at indie powerhouse A24, alongside an animated project. And Hideo isn’t stopping. He’s also working on OD, a psychological horror title co-written with filmmaker Jordan Peele, and PHYSINT, a new espionage game echoing his legendary Metal Gear roots. As the world looks to rebuild in the wake of global upheaval, Death Stranding 2 asks: can we still find ways to truly connect?

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