Kojima Denies Making Death Stranding 3 Despite Its Existence

Hideo Kojima has already conceptualized Death Stranding 3, but he has confirmed that he will not be directly involved in its creation. Dive deeper into how Death Stranding 2 could spawn multiple sequels and what lies ahead for Kojima's future projects.

Death Stranding 3 May Not Be Under Kojima’s Lead

In an interview with VGC on May 8, Hideo Kojima, the director of Death Stranding 2 (DS2), revealed that he has a concept for Death Stranding 3 but will not be the one to bring it to life. He explained that the "Plate Gates," introduced in DS2, could allow the series to explore different countries and potentially lead to an infinite series of sequels. "If I use this Plate Gate concept, I could make endless sequels," Kojima stated. However, he quickly clarified, "I, of course, don’t have any plans to do that, but I already have a concept for another sequel. I am not going to make it myself, but if I passed it on to someone else, they could probably make it." This suggests that while fans won't see a Kojima-directed Death Stranding 3, the series might continue under the guidance of another developer with Kojima's blessing.

The Pandemic Changed Death Stranding 2’s Theme

Kojima also shared how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the thematic direction of DS2. Released just before the global lockdown in November 2019, the original Death Stranding emphasized connectivity as a counter to global isolation. Kojima noted, "The world was heading towards isolation and division, such as the UK leaving the EU. So I was saying, ‘Let’s connect. We’re headed for disaster if we don’t connect.’ That was the theme, story, and gameplay for Death Stranding."

The pandemic mirrored the game's themes, as the Chiral Network in Death Stranding paralleled the real-world Internet, which became vital for connectivity during the lockdown. Yet, Kojima pointed out the paradox of the Internet now causing division. He expressed concern over the increasing reliance on the metaverse and screens, which he believes diminishes real human interactions. "Communication between human beings is not meant to be this way. You meet people by chance or see sights you didn’t expect to see. With the way we were headed, you would lose all of that," he remarked.

The lockdown experience led Kojima to reconsider the theme of connectivity in DS2. He questioned, "Maybe it’s not such a good thing to connect so much," which is reflected in one of the game's characters. The strands in the game's logos hint at their themes; the first game's logo conveyed "Let’s Connect," while the sequel's logo suggests "We should not have connected." Kojima hinted at deeper reflections on connectivity, saying, "When you really start thinking about what it means to connect, you start to wonder… That’s all I’ll say for now."

More Projects To Come

Despite stepping back from Death Stranding 3, Kojima is not slowing down. At The Game Awards 2023, he unveiled OD (formerly Overdose) in collaboration with Jordan Peele and Microsoft Game Studios. Kojima described this project as one he has been contemplating for five to six years, requiring unprecedented infrastructure. "The project we’re working on with Microsoft is one I have been thinking about for five or six years already. The project required infrastructure that was never needed before, so I discussed it with lots of different big companies and gave presentations, but they really seemed to think that I was mad," he shared.

Additionally, Kojima announced a partnership with PlayStation for a "next-generation action espionage game," revealed during PlayStation’s State of Play in January 2024. This game will mark a new original IP and celebrate the 40th anniversary of his game production career. "I will celebrate the 40th anniversary of my game production career. I am confident that this title will be the culmination of my work," Kojima stated. The development of this new game will commence once DS2 is completed.

While these future projects are on the horizon, fans can look forward to the imminent release of Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, set for June 26, 2025, on PlayStation 5. Keep up with the latest updates on the game by checking out our dedicated Death Stranding 2: On The Beach article below!