Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is set to launch on June 26, so just over a couple of weeks from now. It’s been a long wait for fans, with the first Death Stranding launching back in 2019.
Video game development times are only getting longer — just ask Hollow Knight fans. However, this isn’t the only reason that Death Stranding 2 has taken so long to get off the ground, as in an interview with GQ Magazine, Hideo Kojima says that we would have been playing it two years ago, were it not for Covid.
In the GQ interview, the game designer sheds some light on the development process at Kojima Productions. Here, Kojima shares that time is always on his mind, as he has so many ideas to realise, but he’s limited in how many projects he can take on — something which was only exacerbated by the pandemic.
Kojima Discusses Death Stranding 2's Development, And The Fight Against Time
«What I am most afraid of is time,» Kojima says. «I became independent when I was 52. I’m 61 now. Also, there was Covid. I was trying to shoot the beginning scene of Death 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.»
So, had the pandemic never happened, Death Stranding 2 could have launched two years ago, leaving Kojima time to get on with another project. And he has no shortage of work to do, as on the video game front, we’re getting OD and Physint. On top of this, Kojima’s well-known passion for film has led to an adaptation of Death Stranding at A24, which will also take up his time.
«I feel nervous. I feel rushed,» he adds. «I still have a lot of things I want to do — that I need to do.»
While Death Stranding 2 might have missed Kojima’s initial window, we don’t have too much longer to wait now. It launches exclusively on PS5, with ports to other platforms likely coming later.
