Kojima Productions boss and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima has taken to social media to celebrate the new year, where he also wrote about the studio’s plans. Referring to 2026 as being a major step in moving forward with the studio’s “second phase”, Kojima noted that efforts this year will revolve around the development of horror game OD and espionage title Physint.
“Happy New Year. In 2026, we will move forward with the ‘Second Phase’ that leads into Kojima Productions’ ‘Third Phase,’” wrote Kojima, who then went on to note that he wouldn’t be traveling around the world this year. Rather, he will be spending his time “staying grounded and laying solid foundations” for the studio’s future projects. He will also be moving ahead with the production of the live-action movie adaptation of Death Stranding.
“Unlike last year, like I was traveling all over the world, this year will be about staying grounded and laying solid foundations. We will continue development on the horror game ‘OD’ and move forward with preparations for the espionage action title ‘Physint.’ This includes casting actors, scanning, and performance capture shoots,” his post continued.
“Also, be pushing forward with the live-action film of Death Stranding, as well as its animation projects, both the movie and series. In addition, we’re preparing several ‘events’ this year. Once things are finalized, I’ll be able to share more.”
“This year also marks my 40th anniversary in the game industry, from 1986, and began my journey in game creation. Thank you, as always, for your continued support and supporting Kojima Productions. I look forward to another great year.”
This “phase 2” of Kojima Productions had been a subject of conversation as far back as April 2025, where he noted that the development of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach coming to an end marked the end of the studio’s first phase. He described “phase 1” as a period where the studio would create a new IP and then expand on it with a sequel, which it achieved with Death Stranding and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
“Phase 2”, however, wasn’t defined very well at the time, aside from Kojima noting that it would revolve around the development of OD and Physint. He also said that he wanted to experiment with other media, including a movie, as well as potentially an anime series.
OD seems to be the main subject of development for the time being, with Kojima stating just last month that there were plenty of hints in the “Knock” trailer from back in September to let players know what the title would be about. He also said that “the system [OD] uses isn’t ordinary. Everything is made in a game engine, and a game is a game, but it’s still a system like no other. That’s why we built a completely new medium together with Microsoft.”
In the meantime, check out our review of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which is available on PS5.
