Death Stranding director Hideo Kojima confirmed that an anime adaptation of the game is in the works. Read on to learn more about his thoughts on adaptations of games and Death Stranding 2’s latest promotions.
Death Stranding Expands Reach
Anime in The Works
It was long reported that a Death Stranding live-action film is in the works, but series creator Hideo Kojima revealed that an anime adaptation is also coming. In an interview with Vogue Japan on May 28, Kojima shared his thoughts about the upcoming Death Stranding film, while also casually sharing that they are also working on an anime.
He said that in the future, the boundary between video games and movies will disappear, and that is the goal of his company. Kojima stated, "If the first phase of Kojima Productions was to create an IP called "DEATH STRANDING" and deploy it to various devices, and to produce a movie and a sequel, the second phase is to create a work where the boundaries between games and movies are blurred to no end."
In terms of video adaptations of games, he gave examples like "The Last of Us," which focused on keeping the original plot intact, and "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," which is more of a fan service. Kojima said that these styles have their own merits, but his goal is to create a film that could win awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice International Film Festival. He added, "In fact, we are currently working on an anime adaptation."
Although Kojima has mentioned to Variety in September 2024 the possibility of bringing Death Stranding to anime, this is the first official confirmation that Kojima Productions is working on it. As of writing, there are no further details shared regarding this project.
Hideo Kojima at Summer Game Fest 2025
Meanwhile, Summer Game Fest (SGF) announced on Twitter (X) on May 27 that Hideo Kojima will take the stage on June 6 at 2:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET / 9:00 PM GMT / 6:00 AM JST. Fans can check out the livestream on SGF’s official YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter (X) channels.
Many expect this presentation to be about Death Stranding 2’s (DS2) upcoming release, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Kojima also talks about his other projects, such as OD and Phsyint. However, it seems that they will be focusing DS2’s promotion as they recently released a QR code to gain hype for the game.
Prepper Awaiting Porter
Over at Reddit, fans reported about this new QR code that Kojima Productions has launched, which links to a video over at the game’s official website. User soldier_ibra claimed that the studio started a Pocket Tissue campaign, a marketing strategy in Japan where pocket tissues have a QR code attached to them that encourages fans to check it out.
Kojima himself tweeted about this on May 23, and was personally handing out pocket tissues to people in the streets of Tokyo, Japan. The video, titled "Prepper Awaiting Porter," is a short clip inside Prepper Shelter, where essentially nothing happens. Fans see this as typical Hideo Kojima antics and expect more promotional videos to come as the game is nearing its release.
With the game nearing its launch, Kojima himself is working hard to promote the sequel to the critically acclaimed action-adventure. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is set to release on June 26, 2025 on PlayStation 5. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, check out our Death Stranding 2: On The Beach article below!
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A future where movies and games intersect: Hideo Kojima Vogue Japan Interview
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Summer Game Fest Twitter (X) post on Special Guest Hideo Kojima
New Death Stranding 2 footage!
DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH | ？？？
Hideo Kojima Twitter (X) post on Handing Out Pocket Tissues
