Death Stranding 2 gets a fun new title at Sony’s State of Play showcase

Kojima Productions founder and game director Hideo Kojima appeared Wednesday at Sony’s 2024 State of Play showcase to reveal new details about the upcoming PlayStation 5 sequel to Death Stranding. First and foremost, it’s worth noting that the full title of the Death Stranding sequel will be Death Stranding 2: On The Beach.

That’s only slightly unusual, given the prominence of beaches (and Beached Things) in the original Death Stranding. But it’s definitely a choice. A very Hideo Kojima choice.

A lengthy trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach went deep on what’s new in the sequel. While the core protagonists are returning, they’ll be joined by newcomers, including a new character played by Mad Max director George Miller, and a small, sentient puppet played by Head-On director Fatih Akin. There’s an epic battle between Higgs — who fights with an electrified guitar — and a… Lou/BB-28-possessed mech-warrior? I’m still wrapping my head around it. At nearly 10 minutes in length, the new trailer for Death Stranding 2 has a lot to chew on, and the On the Beach portion of the title is probably the least strange part.

Death Stranding 2 is bound for PS5, but does not have a release date. The sequel will see the return of Léa Seydoux as Fragile, with Norman Reedus returning as Sam Bridges, and Troy Baker reprising his role as Higgs. New to the cast will be actors Elle Fanning and Shioli Kutsuna.

Kojima Productions has a full plate right now, with Death Stranding 2, the horror game OD, and a film adaptation of Death Stranding, which is being produced by A24.