Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is just months away, and everyone (myself included) is excited to get their hands on Hideo Kojima’s sequel to his acclaimed science fiction game. While fans are gearing up for Sam and BB’s next adventure, Kojima himself appears to be stepping away from the franchise, announcing that he will no longer be directing future Death Stranding titles.
This news came from an interview with VGC, where Kojima mentioned that his concept of “Plate Gates” in Death Stranding lore could serve as a narrative foundation for future sequels, but that he won’t be the one to create them. He stated that if the franchise continues, the reins will be handed to someone else.
It’s starting to look like this may be Kojima’s final Death Stranding project before he moves on to other ventures, and there are plenty of those on the horizon. Let’s be realistic: Kojima is 61 years old, and directing another game as massive as Death Stranding might be physically taxing. He’s already deep into OD, his upcoming horror game with Jordan Peele (Us, Get Out), and Physint, a project said to return to his roots in tactical espionage gameplay, echoing Metal Gear Solid.
He’s a busy man, and it makes sense that someone else might take on the role of director for Death Stranding 3. Besides, Kojima Productions is filled with incredibly talented artists and developers who are more than capable of carrying the torch.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach could very well be Kojima’s swan song for the series. There are still so many questions we want answered, but chances are we won’t get all of them when the game launches on June 24. We might even be in for another Metal Gear Solid 2-style twist, where the playable characters aren’t who we think they are. Who knows? It could even surpass his previous titles.
But Kojima is no stranger to misdirection. He pulled similar stunts with the Metal Gear series, once claiming he was done with directing future entries, only to return because of his deep love for the franchise (and Konami’s blessing).
We could be seeing a similar pattern now. Kojima may be stepping away, but there's always a chance he’ll return. Still, it’s just as likely that age and ambition are finally prompting him to pass the torch—for real this time.