Hideo Kojima has shared some new insight into Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, saying COVID impacted the sequel. In an interview with IGN, Kojima said the original Death Stranding, which was released in 2019, was made based on the theme of “We’re in danger of being divided and isolated, so let’s connect.”
Then the COVID pandemic began in 2020, after Death Stranding 2 came out. Having lived through the pandemic, Kojima said he’s changed his way of thinking when it comes to connection.
“After actually experiencing that, I felt that maybe it’s not such a good thing to connect so much. That feeling is foreshadowed in lots of different scenes and settings [in Death Stranding 2]. I think there are portions that players will only understand once they reach the end of the game. What I felt during the pandemic is quite strongly reflected within this title,” he said.