Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Director Reveals Themes of Connection Came From Feeling Lonely

The Death Stranding 2: On the Beach special panel at SXSW 2025 included several new announcements and details. Director Hideo Kojima also spoke quite a bit about the development of the original Death Stranding and its upcoming sequel. One of the things Kojima spoke about is how the central theme of “connection” in Death Stranding came about.

According to Kojima, the theme came about in the wake of his departure from Konami after the release of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. Kojima describes the time as lonely, believing that he had lost everything.

“The game was about connection,” said Kojima about Death Stranding. “I thought I lost everything when I became alone nine years ago.”

“I had something very important, which was [a] connection with people,” he concluded.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach also got a new trailer during the special panel. Clocking in at 10 minutes in length, it offered cryptic hints about what the plot of the story could potentially be. The gameplay is quite similar to the original Death Stranding, with players taking on the role of protagonist Sam Porter Bridges as he makes deliveries across vast spaces of uninhabited land.

The trailer also revealed that the popular character Higgs would return in the sequel. Played by Troy Baker, the character proved to be one of the fan-favourites from the original Death Stranding. Kojima has said that the Higgs seen in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be even more ridiculous than we saw in the original game. The director pre-emptively apologised for players potentially throwing their controllers at the sight of his ridiculousness.

“Higgs is not like twice or thrice better – it’s 100 times better than Death Stranding 1,” said Kojima. “So at the end, you’re gonna watch Higgs and say, ‘What is this?’ And you’ll probably throw the controller, it’s so ridiculous. I’ll apologize beforehand.”

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will also feature a new character, named Neil, who Kojima has described as being in a similar role to Mads Mikkelsen’s character Cliff from Death Stranding. He wrote a lengthy post about how he came to discover actor Luca Marinelli’s work, and how they worked together for the sequel.

“During the pandemic, I was casting for Death Stranding 2. Neil would be an important role that replaces Cliff from Death Stranding 1,” wrote Kojima. “The fans would not be satisfied unless the casting would surpass Mads.”

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is coming to PS5 on June 26. Kojima Productions and Sony have also revealed details about its various editions, including Digital Deluxe and a Collector’s Edition, both of which will grant players 48 hours of early access to the game right before its release.

Later in the year, the Death Stranding Strands of Harmony concert tour will be taking place. Kicking things off on November 8 in Sydney, Australia, the tour encompasses the world before wrapping up in Canada in March 2026.