“I want to train properly, learn how to do the docking, go to the International Space Station and stay there for a few months,” Kojima said. “I’m not a scientist, but I could probably make games in space. I want to be the first. There are a lot of astronauts over 60, so I guess it’s possible.”

It is worth noting that Kojima was talking primarily about a long-held dream of his to go into outer space. Unlike how some of the other rich people in the world have done it, however, Kojima instead wants to actually do something once he reaches space rather than simply going there for a visit. He described this feeling as the “Tom Cruise disease,” referring to the actor’s penchant to do his own (often dangerous) stunt work for some of the more epic set pieces in his movies.

“It’s ‘Tom Cruise disease’,” Kojima said. “Tom Cruise finds out his worth when living with his life on the line.”

Kojima had also recently spoken about how his cameos made it into the recently-released Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. When asked in an interview about whether his staff at Kojima Productions put in cameos of him in the game, he responded by saying, “I put all of these things in.” He continued: “Even if I said to the staff, ‘please put them in!’, they would just say ‘huh?’ and pretend not to know.”

While Kojima has been celebrating the release of his own studio’s major game, he also hasn’t been quiet about other outings in the gaming industry. Back in June, he spoke about how he believes Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive to have an “ideal” team size.

“They only have like 33 team members and a dog,” Kojima said, discussing how the size of the team at Kojima Studios has grown up to employ more than 200 developers. “That’s my ideal when I create something with a team. Creation has now become much bigger. It’s kind of a war between how efficient you could [be] with the small team, but you have to make it so grand.”

However, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was developed by more than just the team at Sandfall itself. The developer made use of quite a few external support studios for various aspects of game development, including performance capture, 3D models, animation, and QA.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was released just last week exclusively on the PS5. For more details about the title, check out our review. And if you’re already playing, check out our guide on how to unlock all 63 of the game’s weapons.

“I put all of these things in,” responded Kojima (translation via Google). “Even if I said to the staff, ‘please put them in!’, they would just say ‘huh?’ and pretend not to know.”

Kojima continued the interview, giving players a hint about where they can look if they want to find one of the many cameo appearances throughout Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. “If you look up at the sky at night in a hot spring, you can see a very beautiful sky,,” he said. “If you zoom in there, various things will appear, so please play around with it. Some people might be a little put off.”

Speaking about other cameos in the game, Kojima also revealed that there were several people who came to Kojima Studios hoping to be featured in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. “We scan them, ask them what kind of role they would like, and make them appear… that’s how it feels,” he said, noting that so many people had come to the studio that not all of the cameos could be added to the title.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was released exclusively on PS5 earlier this month. Leading up to the title’s release, Kojima Productions had released what it titled the “final trailer” for the game that gave us a quick-cut, fast-paced look at what the story and gameplay in the title would be like. Among the gameplay segments shown off in the trailer was a fast-paced chase sequence, as well as some fights against massive enemies.

More recently, the credits of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was discovered to feature Nintendo Pictures among the people who worked on the game. The company – primarily working on Nintendo’s first-party titles – had done the motion-capture work for Kojima’s most recent title. The company had previously also worked on the original Death Stranding. However, at the time it was known as Dynamo Pictures.

Having come out on PS5, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach seemingly makes good use of the hardware available on the console. Players discovered on the first day of its release that the game is able to load into a saved game in an instant. There is clearly quite a bit of technical proficiency that went into the making of the game to optimise a player’s play time without interrupting them with loading screens.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach picks up a few years after the events of the original Death Stranding. For more details about the original title’s story, check out the story so far in another video that was released leading up to the latest game’s launch. In the meantime, also check out our review.

Kojima’s logic essentially boils down to wanting to create a work of art that has true lasting power. And going by history, most works of art that end up being important in the long term tend to not be liked when they first come out. “Anything that lasts 10 years, 20 years, it has to be new,” said Kojima. “And most of those are not received well at the start. That exists for 20 or 30 years, and then looked back on, with people saying ‘This is great.'”

He also spoke about how the preview reception to Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has been much more positive when compared to the first Death Stranding. Kojima said that, during the previews for the first game, everyone had pros and cons about the title.

“For Death Stranding 2, when I tested it, it wasn’t like that,” he said. “Everyone liked it. That’s why I said, ‘Maybe this is a problem.’ It was more than my prediction, in the first Death Stranding, everyone had pros and cons.”

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is slated for its PS5 release on June 26. This means that most of the development work on the game has been completed, and the studio is now either taking some well-earned breaks, or is getting back to work on releasing post-launch updates for bug fixes or balance changes. Kojima, however, has revealed that he has already begun working on his next game.

“I am already working on the next one now,” said Kojima in an episode of his radio show earlier this month. “Just me. Everyone dislikes it when I submit the project plans at this point in time. They are like ‘Huh?, I thought you are taking a break. But you’re talking about the next one.’”

Kojima has also revealed that the studio doesn’t currently have any plans for post-launch episodic DLC releases for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. He spoke about he believes that episodic DLCs have fallen out of fashion in more recent times. He did note, however, that Kojima Productions will still work on releasing bug fix patches.

“As for DLC – right now, there aren’t any plans,” said Kojima. “That kind of thing isn’t really the trend anymore, is it? I’m not sure though. Before, we used to add stuff post-launch pretty regularly. But now – maybe there will be something like that. After the release at the end of June, if any bug pops up – we’ll fix them. We’ll keep improving the game. We might even create something that didn’t exist at all in the first game. Who knows. I can’t say for sure right now.”

While you wait for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, check out its most recent trailer.

Kojima explained that the idea to work on Physint after Death Stranding 2: On the Beach occurred to him because he believed that his fans want him to make a game like something in the Metal Gear franchise.

“Of course, I have lots of new ideas that I want to create,” Kojima said. “But when I became sick during the pandemic, I realised that a lot of people wanted me to make something like Metal Gear. That’s when I had the idea for a new espionage game. I reflected, and thought the idea was good.”

Kojima also spoke about discussing the concept of Physint with Sony, and the company agreeing. “We explored many options, and we agreed on doing Physint,” he said.

However, it is worth noting that Physint is still likely quite some time away. The game was officially announced back in February 2024. During the announcement, Kojima had said that the title will blend various aspects of games and film together, which likely means that Physint will be more similar than not to older Metal Gear titles.

“I cannot tell you so much now, but we plan to bring together cutting-edge technology and talent from around the world to create [Physint],” Kojima said. “Of course, it is an interactive game, but it is also a movie at the same time, in terms of look, story, theme, casting, acting, fashion, and sound. With this title, we hope to transcend the barriers between film and video games.”

Kojima’s asistant, Ayako Terashima, has also revealed earlier this month that Physint will take “another five or six years” before it comes out.

In discussing his decision to work on an espionage-based game, Kojima spoke about wanting to work on something new after leaving Konami, which he did with Death Stranding. However, the pull for him to create a new game in the vein of Metal Gear was too strong owing to fans of Kojima’s titles from all over the world.

“And since [the release of Death Stranding], there have been a lot of new ideas,” Kojima said back in 2024. “But in the last eight years, every day on social media, from users all around the world, people have been asking me to create another Metal Gear and stuff like that.”

“Having said that, if the users desire it so much, I thought I should change my priorities a bit. I still want to do new things, but I decided to make an action-espionage game.”

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be the next major title by the studio, after which, work is expected to begin on Physint as well as horror title OD.

Kojima also spoke about how he makes use of feedback from playtests, saying that, while he does take heed of feedback about mechanical aspects of the a like camera controls, he doesn’t alter stories or themes of games to make them more appealing to everyone.

“I do listen to criticism, if the controls need tweaking or if a camera pan is too slow or too fast. But I don’t alter themes or story based on feedback,” Kojima said. “Of course, I want people to play my game, so I must listen to them to a certain extent. But also, I’m not interested in making something that appeals to everyone.”

He also spoke about what he considers to be a success in terms of reception from a test audience, doubling down on the fact that he is not interested in appealing to just about everyone. Kojima considers 4 out of 10 players liking the game as being “a good balance.” He also wishes that his work was considered at least “a bit more controversial,” because he doesn’t want to make games like blockbuster movies.

“In fact, I did a lot of monitoring tests for the original Death Stranding. I’d find that four out of ten people would love the game, but six would say it was a terrible game. For me, I think that’s a good balance. But with the playtests for Death Standing 2: On the Beach, everyone seems to be positive.”

“Sony is pleased, of course, but I do wish I was a bit more controversial. Blockbuster films need an 80 percent approval rating – I don’t want to make games like that. I’m not interested in appealing to the mass market, or selling millions of copies… That’s not what I’m aiming for.”

Kojima also notes that he can’t just release a game that no one would like either, since ultimately, he does have to take care of the business aspects of making games like running his studio and paying his staff. “Of course, I can’t afford to make a failure, either,” he said. “I must take care of my studio, my staff, and our production budget. But in essence, I don’t want to simply recreate something that’s already in the world. I want to make something new.”

As Kojima Productions gets ready for the PS5-exclusive release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the company also recently announced that it would be going on tour to 12 different cities from all over the world to celebrate the launch. The tour, kicking off on June 8 in Los Angeles, will continue until November, ending in Lucca. In the meantime, check out what Kojima had to say about adding a day/night cycle to Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.

“For example some are saying GTA may or may not release in November,” said Kojima on his radio show, as translated by X user Genki_JPN. “As soon as it would be announced for November, everyone would move out of they way. For instance, if a new Mission Impossible movie were to release in May, others wouldn’t be able to compete with that so would move somewhere else.”

According to Kojima, even the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach had been affected. While the game got its June 26 release date during a special panel at SXSW 2025 earlier this year, he had originally wanted to release the game in September. This would have potentially created a conflict with the originally-planned release window of Grand Theft Auto 6, which was slated for Fall 2025. More recently, however, GTA 6 got a proper May 26, 2026 release date.

Kojima’s thoughts echo what we’ve heard others in the industry say. Back in March, a host of smaller publishers and developers spoke about having to plan the releases of their games in order to avoid being overshadowed by the release of Grand Theft Auto 6. One publisher, Dring, spoke about Rockstar’s titles always sucking “a lot of money and, more importantly, time of the market.”

A publisher from Europe also spoke about the uncertainty that came up because of the (at the time) unknown release date for GTA 6. “We don’t want to launch just before or just after the game,” they said. “If it arrives in late October, that means you either have to launch early – which a lot of people seem to be doing with the recent glut of summer release dates. Or go later, putting you up against the Black Friday sales.”

“If we move out to 2025, what if Rockstar do, too?” they continued. “Will we have time to push our game up? Or will we have to delay further? It’s stressful.”

Grand Theft Auto 6 recently got a new trailer that showcased more of its main setting of Vice City, as well as its dual protagonists Jason and Lucia. While we didn’t get much in the way of gameplay in the latest trailer, we did get to see quite a bit of Vice City thanks to clips of various out-of-context cutscenes that made up the whole trailer.

GTA 6 is currently in the works on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Rockstar had announced the title’s delayed release date of May 26, 2026 earlier this month, stating that it needed more time to work on the game. Rumours indicated, however, that the decision to delay the game was made in order to avoid crunch at the studio.

One of the things that distinguishes Peace Walker from other games in the series is its design around portability. Sure, you can play Peace Walker HD just fine on PS3 (and presumably the upcoming Master Collection Vol 2) , but it was built to accommodate the short PSP battery life. The solution? A bite-sized mission structure extending to to nearly every corner of the game. One of the advantages of compartmentalizing missions is it avoids the 30 minute cutscenes that MGS4 was notorious for.

In fact, the story-heavy Main Ops missions can be completed in a lean 15 hours or so when ignoring the ludicrous amounts of side content. Of course, to unlock the true ending, quite a lot of work is required. This is where the several Extra Ops missions come in. Some of the most varied gameplay in the series can be found in these side missions. Within these missions, you’ll find yourself engaging in traditional stealth infiltrations, blowing up enemy cargo, destroying a wide array of mechs, and capturing soldiers to work on your own base, but more on that later. Each mission ranks you based on performance, with S rank being the highest, and let me tell you, that’s reserved for the ultra-hardcore MGS fans.

Perhaps out of all MGS games, Peace Walker tried emphasizing pacifist stealth-oriented solutions to missions over the guns-blazing route the most. This is because the game penalizes players for lethally taking out enemies and being discovered. It’s far more rewarding to ghost your way through as many missions as possible, setting up a lofty challenge for seasoned MGS players. Rounding out the impressive amounts of replayability that Peace Walker offers are the substantive Mother Base mode and multiplayer offerings. Taken as a whole, Peace Walker may just be the most jam-packed full of gameplay content out of any MGS game, especially for completionists who want to see everything the game has to offer.

Many players assume MGS5 originated the base building concept in the series, but nope, Peace Walker had its own fully-fledged Mother Base mode five years before Phantom Pain did it (although Peace Walker built on Portable Ops recruitment mechanics). The cool thing about managing Mother Base is how it’s tied into Peace Walker’s missions. Snake has a Fulton parachute that transports defeated soldiers to the Mother Base where they can be put to work on a variety of projects. It’s just so much fun tying soldiers up and seeing them fly up through indoor areas as they scream.

These units have specializations and ranks and help manage Mother Base by researching new weapons for Snake to use in missions. They even go on Outer Ops missions (which by the way, are way better than the ones found in The Phantom Pain) and feed soldiers as part of a mess hall crew. There’s certain VIP characters that can be recruited too, such as Paz, who has maxed intel stats, of course. And for you mech lovers out there, the Metal Gear, codenamed ZEKE, can be developed through Mother Base. Fans who had fun with the base building in Phantom Pain owe it to themselves to play Peace Walker, if only for the Mother Base stuff alone.

Another thing most players forget is that Peace Walker’s campaign is almost entirely playable co-op. In fact, it almost seems like Peace Walker was structured as a co-op game first and foremost considering the padded health on most boss enemies, especially within late-game sections. Playing these tough missions with a co-op partner via the Co Ops mode really alleviates some of the grind and frustration that some bosses exhibit. And then there’s Versus Ops, which pits six players against each other in death matches and capture challenges. The cool thing is that the unlocked weapons and items from single-player can be used in PvP matches as well.

With the versatile Mother Base content, 100s of missions, and a co-op campaign and PvP modes, Peace Walker is absolutely teeming with gameplay variety. Which brings up the question: why the heck isn’t it give more love like a mainline Metal Gear Solid game? Well, obviously, it originating on the PSP has something to do with its diminished reputation. But does it really deserve it? Well, even according to the developers, Peace Walker is among the biggest games the team had worked on back then. It’s been said the staff for Peace Walker rivaled that of MGS4’s development.

Peace Walker provides crucial context for why Snake is so jaded and weary. The game takes place 10 years after the events of Snake Eater showing crucial flashbacks of him facing off against The Boss and some internal monologue details that help flesh out Snake’s transition between games. Aside from all the crucial character arc stuff, Yoji Shinkawa’s character design and Ashley Wood’s illustrations are just fantastic throughout the Main Ops missions. A majority of the cutscenes are done in a comic strip fashion, featuring the series’ iconic art. Contrasting the lengthy cutscenes seen in MGS4 are interactable quick time events that engage the player through the lean story. Say what you want about QTEs, but their pairing with the fantastic hand-drawn artwork provides a breath of fresh air coming from MGS4’s cinematic approach.

But Peace Walker does take several elements from MGS4, most notably in the gameplay department. For example, the game feels much smoother to play than MGS3. The crouch walking and moving around while aiming down the sights substantially reduces the jank and limited movement of previous entries. But above all, Peace Walker just feels like a tried and true Metal Gear game like all of the numbered entries do. It has all the quirkiness, convoluted story identity, and wide array of series that characterize these beloved games. As mentioned earlier, you build your own Metal Gear. Heck, not even The Phantom Pain featured such a gameplay mechanic despite being advanced not only in gameplay mechanics but also technology wise. It’s clear that a lot of love and passion was poured into this project.

Monster Hunter fans have a lot to gush over too, as there’s an entire island dedicated to taking down a Ratholos and Tigrex. Monster Hunter’s own Trenya even flies Snake to the island, though you’d best come prepared since these iconic monsters have a ton of health. Another fun secret is tucked in one of the Extra Ops missions. One of these missions features a spot where Snake can perform an Assassin’s Creed inspired ‘leap of faith’ into a hay pile before using the hay as a disguise. Peace Walker has such a wide array of fun secrets that it’d take another video just to list them all.

I may dislike all the equipment grind and bloated boss health that exists within Peace Walker, but it cannot be denied how much substantive content is packed into the package. In the past, the development team has expressed just how big the production for Peace Walker is. Not to mention its realization of Snake’s character arc following the events of Snake Eater fill in a crucial spot in the timeline. Peace Walker is a a fantastic MGS game and its gameplay perks are worth going through a bit of grind for.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

While what Kojima means when he refers to entering “phase 2” isn’t yet clear, he also said that he is unsure about his own future after work on Physint has been completed. According to Genki_JPN, Kojima said that he might make another game, or even get into making movies. Kojima also apparently intends to create anime during the studio’s “phase 2”.

Further describing what “phase 1” of Kojima Productions was, Kojima clarified that it was a period for the studio to create new IP which could then get expanded on, and ultimately get a multiplatform release. Kojima also said that, since Kojima Productions is still an independent studio, he will have to make contacts to figure out what the studio’s next project will be.

Physint was announced all the way back in February 2024. The title is slated to be a new stealth game helmed by Hideo Kojima and developed by Kojima Productions. Kojima has described the title as a “next-generation action espionage game.” He also revealed that full development on the game will start only after the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.

“Preparations are underway, but production will begin in earnest at Kojima Productions after Death Stranding 2,” Kojima said back in February. “We have extensive experience with Sony, having grown the espionage genre together for almost 30 years. Also, Sony not only does games, but also music and movies. It will definitely be a strong collaboration.”

“Two years from now, I will celebrate the 40th anniversary of my game production career. I am confident that this title will be the culmination of my work.”

While working with Sony on Physint, Kojima is also working with Microsoft on a horror title dubbed OD. Announced back in December 2023, OD will be exclusive to Xbox, and was announced with a trailer during The Game Awards 2023. While not too many details have been revealed so far, we do know that OD is being developed using Unreal Engine 5, and that it will make use of Microsoft’s cloud technology.

In true Kojima fashion, OD will also feature real-world actors taking on the roles of in-game cahracters, including Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier.

While development on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has been progressing, back in January, Kojima also mentioned the hiccups facing the development of OD and Physint owing to the SAG-AFTRA strike at the time. He expressed hopes to resume development on both titles this year, however.

In the meantime, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be coming to will be coming to PS5 on June 26. Check out details that Kojima has revealed about the Japanese bokka couriers that inspired the gameplay of Death Stranding making an appearance in the sequel.

Kojima wrote about how he first came to know of Marinelli thanks to his role as antagonist Fabio Cannizzaro/Zingaro in the Italian movie They Call Me Jeeg. He also praised Marinelli’s work in the autobiographical movie Martin Eden. Kojima’s work in helping promote the movie’s Japanese release in 2020 led to the two meeting and talking, with Marinelli telling Kojima about how he grew up as a fan of the Metal Gear franchise.

“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.”

Ultimately, it was Marinelli’s work on Netflix’s The Old Guard that helped Kojima decide that he would be ideal for the role of Neil in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. While they couldn’t meet, thanks to Marinelli working on The Eight Mountains, they finally spoke through an online call.

“After that, I Zoom called with Luca once he was home, pitched the idea of DS2, and he agreed to play the role,” Kojima wrote. “When I told him I was looking for someone to play Lucy, he introduced me to his wife, Alissa, who is also an actress (and filmmaker). We did their scan and performance capture during the height of the pandemic, but their on-set performance was excellent.

“You can see that in the digitized results from even the small bits of the trailer. I can only thank Luca and Alissa for agreeing to perform when we didn’t even have a script yet.”

As Kojima revealed, Marinelli’s role as Neil does seem to bear quite a bit of resemblance to that of Mads Mikkelsen’s character, Cliff, from the original Death Stranding. Both characters seemingly have similar story arcs, with past regrets turning them into antagonistic forces in their respective games. Interestingly, Marinelli’s character Neil also cheekily referenced Metal Gear Solid protagonist Solid Snake with his bandana.

The trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach also showed off quite a bit of gameplay. While a lot of the core gameplay loop will be similar to the first game, where players control Sam Porter Bridges and complete deliveries by traveling across vast stretches of wilderness on foot, the sequel seems to have a lot more action set-pieces.

Among the action scenes were epic boss fights and even vehicular combat on bikes racing through player-made highways.

The trailer also revealed that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be coming to PS5 on June 26. For more details on pre-orders and its various editions, check out our coverage of the event.

In his post, Kojima refers to the game’s development as physically and mentally demanding, calling it crunch time. He also mentions that, at this point, Kojima Productions is working on a host of different things, ranging from mixing Japanese voice recordings to working on interviews, discussions, essays, and even non-game-related work.

“The most demanding period of game development—both physically and mentally—commonly known as ‘crunch time’,” wrote Kojima. “On top of mixing and Japanese voice recording, there’s an inevitable pile of other tasks: writing comments, explanations, essays, interviews, discussions, and non-game-related work. It’s incredibly tough.”

The game development industry is hardly a stranger to the concepts of crunch time, with the release of plenty of AAA titles having involved its developers working overtime to try and hit deadlines. Crunch time, however, is widely looked down upon, since it often ends up forcing developers working on these titles to forego other important aspects of their lives. Several in the past have also faced burnout, and ultimately, left the industry altogether.

While we may not know all the details about the development and production of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Kojima revealed back in May 2024 that filming and recording for the game had been wrapped up, and that the title was in its “adjustment phase”.

Kojima Production revealed the Japanese voice cast for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach back in September. Among the cast are several actors reprising their roles from the original Death Stranding, including Kenjiro Tsuda again playing the role of protagonist Sam Porter Bridges. The game will also feature Nana Mizuki as Fragile and Satoshi Mikami as Higgs.

Among the new voice actors that will be in the game’s Japanese language options are Tomokazu Sugita taking on the role of Dollman, Mitsuru Miyamoto as Tarman, and Shion Wakayama as Tomorrow.

From the few details that Kojima Productions has revealed about Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, it looks like it will be a wilder game than its predecessor. Among other things, the game will seemingly feature an in-game dancing event that revolves around Dollman. The game will also feature several new characters, with a trailer showing us Tomorrow, Rainy, and Tarman.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach doesn’t yet have a release date, but it is expected to come out in 2025 and will be available on PS5. For more information about the follow-up to Death Stranding, here are 10 new details. In case you’re worried about not having experienced the original before diving in, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will also include a recap of the first game to help get players up to speed.

A specific release date for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is expected to be announced sometime this year, and will likely coincide with one of the bigger gaming events.

The most demanding period of game development—both physically and mentally—commonly known as “crunch time.” On top of mixing and Japanese voice recording, there’s an inevitable pile of other tasks: writing comments, explanations, essays, interviews, discussions, and… https://t.co/FrXRgaS748

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) January 10, 2025