Death Stranding 2 - What We Know So Far

"Death Stranding" might be one of the most polarizing video games ever released. A passion project of sorts from "Metal Gear Solid" creator Hideo Kojima, "Death Stranding" focused on a post-apocalyptic world that exists in fractured segments and centered around the character Sam "Porter" Bridges, a courier responsible for delivering packages to these communities. Overall, the game's confusing story and unique gameplay loop — which is focused almost entirely on traveling — divided players and critics alike.

Despite the game being a mixed bag in terms of critical reception and user experience, "Death Stranding" developed a cult fanbase and was also a commercial success, selling over 5 million copies worldwide by July 2021. Fans suspected a sequel could be on the way when, according to Norman Reedus — who provided his voice and likeness to Sam Bridges — the game was already in development and had begun the motion capturing process. 

In October, Kojima revealed that gamers would get answers at The Game Awards on Dec. 8, and then the waiting started. Now, all of the speculation has paid off, and "Death Stranding 2" has officially been revealed at the 2022 Game Awards. Needless to say, the audience — both at the event and at home — was thrilled. Here's what we know about the game so far, including its release date, trailer, and story.

As of right now, "Death Stranding 2" does not have a release date, though the game has been in production for some time. In an interview with Leo in May 2022, Norman Reedus, who plays Sam Porter Bridges in "Death Stranding," said that the team had just started filming motion capture footage for "Death Stranding 2." If production had already begun in May, that means the team would've been able to work on the game for at least 6 or so months before its official December reveal.

Considering that Kojima's games are intricate on both a technical and story level, there's no clear timeline for the production of "Death Stranding 2." That said, it's clear that the game has been in the works for a while, and it's possible that Kojima has been working on it since the original's release in 2019. Even though nothing is official yet, fans are willing to wait.

"Death Stranding 2" was announced with a teaser trailer at The Game Awards 2022. While the trailer didn't give away too much story information, it did show the return of several characters from the first "Death Stranding," including BB and Sam – albeit a much older, aged Sam. Even though host Geoff Keighley didn't say what the next trailer was for when he started the premiere, fans knew it was a sequel to "Death Stranding" as soon as they heard "BB's Theme" playing softly in the background.

In the original "Death Stranding," Sam Bridges had to make, well, bridges, connecting cities though something that resembled the internet and allowing them to communicate with each other once again. "Death Stranding 2" asks, "Should we have connected?" Though the trailer shows a reserved amount of characters and gameplay, it's clear that "Death Stranding 2" will question the core mission of the first game. Was re-establishing communication such a good idea? Based on the looks of various characters in the trailer, it probably wasn't. Sam looks markedly older, and it's unclear what new threats will plague the world now that it's connected. One thing's for sure – the red-masked character shown off in the trailer sure looks ominous.

The gameplay featured in "Death Stranding" can be boiled down to a simple loop that features players delivering packages of varying weights and sizes from one point to another whilst utilizing several different tools to make travelling easier and more efficient (while also making these methods available to other players through online connectivity). In between these points, players must also avoid several hazards, be it malevolent beings from a different dimension or time-accelerating rain called "Timefall." It's a rather simple concept and one of the game's most polarizing aspects.

While not much is known about exactly what the next game's gameplay will be like, it's highly unlikely that "Death Stranding 2" will veer too far from this core formula, as it is one of the IP's signature elements, for better or worse. That isn't to say that the alleged sequel can't further optimize this gameplay style and make it even more widely appealing. If one had to guess, expect more of the same with a little extra sprinkled in here and there.

The "Death Stranding 2" trailer did provide some insight into potential avenues for the game's story. In a brief interview with Geoff Keighley at the 2022 Game Awards, Hideo Kojima revealed that "Death Stranding 2" will focus on many of the same themes of isolation and connection that the first game did – at least, he hinted that it will.

When Keighley asked how the sequel would be different from "Death Stranding," Kojima said (via a translator) that he didn't want to say too much, and wanted fans to enjoy picking apart the trailer, which is full of Easter eggs for careful observers (via Polygon). Kojima also said that the global pandemic of 2020 and beyond influenced the game's story. "I had the story written before the pandemic, but after experiencing the pandemic, I rewrote the whole thing from scratch. I also didn't want to predict any more future, so I rewrote it," Kojima explained. It's clear that Kojima felt affected by the loneliness many experienced in real life, as his experiences during the pandemic affected the game's story.

While it's too early to tell what "Death Stranding 2" – or "DS2," as the trailer called it – will be like, fans can officially get excited now that Kojima has confirmed it's in development.