Death Stranding 2: On the BeachPublisher: Sony Interactive EntertainmentDeveloper: Kojima ProductionsAvailability: 25th June 2025Platforms: PS5
The dark main hallway of Kojima Productions feels like a cinema corridor. Its black walls are adorned with giant film posters for Death Stranding, with side routes leading to meeting rooms and facilities rather than screens. Along another section of wall are a series of signed plaques and polaroids from various stars of film, games, music, and beyond who have each visited the studio. It’s as if the very walls themselves are taking us through Hideo Kojima’s mind – or are simply an extension of his social media feed.
Kojima’s work has always had a strong influence of cinema running through it, Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding in particular. But in the office that influence is made explicit. Beyond the trophy cabinets celebrating his life’s work lies a collection of recording suites, scan and motion capture rooms, a THX-certified sound studio, and more. This is film production for a video game, all in one place.
There’s a sci-fi edge to it all too. The studio as a whole is starkly monochromatic, from the deep black walls to the sleek, pristine kitchen area. Then there’s the Ludens Room: a blinding white ode to the Kojima mascot with a single statue at its centre, which extends to infinity through mirrored walls. From here, a secret doorway takes us to a gallery of Death Stranding artwork and paraphernalia, while another secret doorway leads to an all-white circular meeting room like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Another meeting room features a video feed of the Ludens Room on the wall, into which Kojima himself occasionally appears. He’s always watching.
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I’m here in the studio to play an intense 30 hours of Death Stranding 2, something Kojima describes as a Death Stranding “bootcamp”. And if the studio feels like a reflection of the creator, so too does the game: his past and present, his taste in film and music, and his anxieties around mortality and the need for human connection.
On the beach
The first Death Stranding game was Kojima let loose. After a career defined largely by one series – Metal Gear Solid – his acrimonious split from Konami led to the creation of his own studio and a brand new, divisive game full of typical Kojima-isms: a bizarre sci-fi world, advanced technology, and cinematic excess.