“A global divide” During the Pandemic Made Me Change the Entire Theme of Death Stranding 2

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

“A global divide” During the Pandemic Made Me Change the Entire Theme of Death Stranding 2

Few creators in the gaming world are as revered, or as unpredictable, as Hideo Kojima. With the upcoming Death Stranding 2: On the Beach set for release on June 26, excitement is reaching a boiling point.

Not just because it’s the sequel to one of the most genre-defying games of the last decade, but because Death Stranding is more than a game; it’s an experience. It was strange, bold, and somehow, profoundly moving. And that’s the kind of emotional power Kojima has mastered.

With the sequel, he’s returning with something just as ambitious, but far more introspective.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a sequel born from a crisis

The Death Stranding franchise has always been unique in its premise. Where most games focus on combat or multiplayer aspects, Kojima introduced the concept of the “Social Strand System”, a framework built on indirect cooperation, emotional connection, and isolation.

In the first game, players delivered packages across a desolate America, not for loot or power, but to rebuild a fractured world, one step at a time. The sequel looks to be a dramatic shift from the first game’s mission of building bridges to one that questions the cost of those bridges (the connections).

In a recent PlayStation Blog

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, Kojima revealed something unexpected: the entire thematic core of the sequel was changed after the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, the game was meant to continue the message of the first game, rebuilding society by connecting people.

But when the real world began to eerily resemble the game’s isolated landscapes, Kojima began to question the optimism of his original message. He said:

I felt like there was a global divide happening around then […] The theme of the game reflected my notion at that point in time.

The irony wasn’t lost on him. The fictional apocalypse of Death Stranding had, in a way, come true. But instead of reaffirming his message, the experience made Kojima rethink it entirely, as lockdowns stretched on and digital interactions replaced in-person relationships.

After experiencing COVID, I started ruminating over the dangers of being ‘too connected.’ I left a lot of clues in the game, like the stick and rope theory, so I think players will connect the dots in the end.

This made him feel uneasy, and he asked himself a question about being connected too much. That question has become the driving force behind Death Stranding 2.

Kojima revisited what it means to be connected

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Kojima’s post-pandemic reflection wasn’t just a narrative shift; it was deeply personal. As someone who always believed in the value of face-to-face connection and unexpected encounters, watching the world retreat into screens during COVID changed him.

That went against my belief around human communication. Only by venturing out can you meet people by chance or stumble upon unexpected places.

While the internet kept us together, it also replaced something vital: physical connection. This unease became central to the sequel. Where the first game encouraged connection, the sequel dares to ask: Should we have connected at all?

Even the sequel’s logo subtly hints at this shift, where once the strands hung freely (in the first game), now they pull downward, heavier, more uncertain. Kojima has always known how to stir emotion: grief, awe, joy, isolation, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach looks to be no exception.

With new environments, deeper character arcs, and a more ambiguous message about human connection, the sequel could be Kojima’s most personal story yet.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach releases on June 26, 2025, exclusively for PlayStation 5. Prepare for an emotional journey that redefines what connection means in a world rebuilt, and possibly broken again.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#global #divide #Pandemic #Change #Entire #Theme #Death #Stranding

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

0

• Quote