I wanted to like Death Stranding but it was surprisingly sparse on real content and felt very padded. I was looking forward to this sequel initially but Sony's overall quality has nosedived since the hype reveal of Death Stranding, and even Kojima himself seems to have been on a losing streak ever since he made the crappiest Metal Gear Solid ever, MGS5 (nearly unplayable and extremely overrated). His recent casting choices suggest he may also be woke, but it's of little surprise for someone obsessed with Hollywood. Still, I'm keeping an eye on Death Stranding 2, nothing about this particular project is explicitly concerning yet.Sony Interactive Entertainment and Kojima Productions’ action game, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, is roughly a year away from release, as the game’s English voice acting and motion capture sessions have been completed.
During the second episode of NHK’s Radio show Hideraj Infinity (via), Kojima Productions game director Hideo Kojima shared an update on the development of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and its possible release window. He mentioned that the actors have finished recording and filming, implying that both motion capture and voice acting sessions have been completed. He added that the development team at Kojima Productions is currently in a phase where they will spend about a year making adjustments to the game’s direction, clarity, entertainment value, and controls/game feel while reviewing the connections.
Furthermore, Kojima shared his thoughts on the State of Play trailer for Death Stranding: On the Beach. He mentioned the differences as a sequel, the elements that have been retained from the previous title, the connections between characters, the addition of new characters, and other aspects such as gameplay, themes, and visuals.
Going by the game director’s rough estimate of about a year, it would appear that Death Stranding 2 will launch sometime during the second quarter of 2025. Episode 2 of Hideraj Infinity is being streamed for free until May 25, 2024 on NHK Radio.
Previously, during an episode of HideoTube on the official Kojima Productions YouTube channel, the game director had revealed that the State of Play trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was captured on PS5, and he believes that the game’s graphics will improve even further by launch. He mentioned that its assets were ready, and that the development team just needed to “construct” them. He also shared some additional details regarding the gameplay and features, such as Sam now having the ability to remove his backpack for lighter movement and combat.
Unrelated, but he's apparently working on an untitled stealth game which I presume is either a spiritual successor to Metal Gear or maybe even a collaboration with Konami on an actual Metal Gear entry (unlikely due to them parting on poor terms, but it's possible).