Death Stranding 2: On the Beach director Hideo Kojima has revealed that there are plenty of secrets in the recently-released trailer that fans have not yet discovered. Taking to social media platform X, Kojima said that there are “a number of clues,” that involve, among other things, the SSS highways and the game systems.
“If you look closely at the game system, there are a number of clues,” posted Kojima on X. “For example, the SSS highways — you will see that some areas have a roof. Also, the structures glow brightly like convenience stores at night.”
While pointing out obvious things from the trailer, Kojima does throw in a cryptic clue when using the words “at night.” This implies that, unlike the original Death Stranding, the sequel might even get a full-fledged day/night cycle. However, until this is confirmed, it is worth taking these ideas as merely speculation.
The trailer that Kojima is referring to was one released during the recent SXSW 2025 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Special Panel. Along with giving us plenty of hints about gameplay and story, the lengthy trailer also revealed that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach would be coming to PS5 on June 26.
The trailer featured plenty of out-of-context story segments, including the introduction of new character Neil. Played by Luca Marinella, Neil has been described by Kojima as playing a similar role in the story of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach as Mads Mikkelsen’s character Cliff did in the original Death Stranding. Kojima revealed more details about he came to learn about Marinella through his previous works, and how the two decided to work together thanks to Marinella also having grown up as a fan of the Metal Gear series.
Along with this, details about the game’s various editions were also revealed. Along with a standard edition, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will also have Digital Deluxe and Collector’s editions, each of which comes with digital and physical goodies respectively. Picking up one of the more expensive editions will also get you access to the game 48 hours before its release. Check out our coverage for more details on the various editions and the goodies included.
The SXSW 2025 panel also had Kojima reveal quite a few different things about Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. While talking about the return of the character Higgs as played by Troy Baker, Kojima even described it as being so ridiculous that players will throw their controllers. He has pre-emptively apologised for this.
“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.”
With one of the central themes of the Death Stranding games being that of “connection,” Kojima also revealed details about why the theme was chosen. The decision came down to Kojima’s state of mind after his departure from Konami, calling it a time where he believed that he had lost everything and became alone.
“The game was about connection,” said Kojima about Death Stranding. “I thought I lost everything when I became alone nine years ago.”
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is in development exclusively for the PS5. If the previous game is any indication, however, the upcoming title might even eventually make its way on to PC.
If you look closely at the game system, there are a number of clues.
For example, the SSS highways — you will see that some areas have a roof. Also, the structures glow brightly like convenience stores at night. https://t.co/7NAvfPekwT
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) March 12, 2025
