Death Stranding 2’s creator, Hideo Kojima, would rather focus on QoL updates than story DLCs that would retcon the games after release, ala Star Wars. Read on to find out more about his thoughts on the practice and his updates on OD and Physint.
Death Stranding 2’s Hideo Kojima Avoids Story DLCs
Would Rather Focus on Quality-of-Life Improvements
Creator of Death Stranding 2, Hideo Kojima, stated that he would rather focus on making quality-of-life (QoL) improvements than making story DLCs after the release of his games. He elaborated that the story should be preserved and kept within the era it was born.
"There are some things that you shouldn’t change. Like the story, for example, because there is a certain era that that story was born," answered Kojima in an interview with IndieWire. "Or, you know, like [George] Lucas changed [‘Star Wars’] to all CG, but that’s because it’s a new era, right? So I don’t want to change anything that would affect the era that it first came out."
The creator aimed to avoid the feeling that he would never finish Death Stranding 2 and his other projects by introducing DLC, instead opting to elevate the current experience. A lot of work went into Death Stranding 2’s story, which Kojima previously confirmed to have rewritten because it was too ‘mainstream’. In the interview with IndieWire, he elaborated that only the first half of the game’s story was identical to his initial script.
Kojima expressed that he would rather focus on gameplay-related adjustments like making an item more accessible or making the UI bigger. He stated that he currently studies player stats, routes, and even cutscene watchtime from his games to determine what needs to be worked on.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach released on June 26, 2025, on PlayStation 5. To stay updated with the latest information about the game, check out our article below!
Carrying on Over to OD and Physint
Speaking of things to work on, Kojima shared that, apart from optimizing Death Stranding 2, he confirmed that he is slowly shifting his attention to his next projects, OD and Physint. The creator remained tight-lipped on details beyond this confirmation.
Kojima stated that he is already working with his team on OD, his upcoming horror game. He previously announced that the game is being co-written by himself and fellow experimental horror virtuoso, director Jordan Peele. With this announcement also came the reveal of OD’s stars: Sophia Lillis, Udo Kier, and Hunter Schafer.
On the other hand, he said that Physint, the so-called Metal Gear spiritual successor due to its action-espionage elements, is currently a solo endeavor. "I’m also doing ‘Physint’ all by myself because that’s at the conceptual stage," clarified Kojima. He previously shared that the inspiration for Physint came after his journey battling an illness, tying the game to his personal views on death.
While both of these projects are within view, Kojima felt that he hadn’t actually finished working on Death Stranding 2 just yet. Besides checking player data and fixing bugs, he had also been doing interviews and promotionals for the game frequently.
To stay updated on the latest information on OD, check out our article below!
Sources:
'Death Stranding 2' Hideo Kojima Interview on Sequel's Big Changes
