Hideo Kojima stokes new Death Stranding speculation with latest tweets

Famed video game designer Hideo Kojima has something up his sleeve and it may have something to do with the Death Stranding universe. In a series of tweets, Kojima said he and Death Stranding art director Yoji Shinkawa are working on a “new title.” His tweets all have accompanying images, including one that depicts the “Bridge Baby” prominently featured in Death Stranding. Two photos published on Monday show Kojima and Shinkawa working on concept art with a Death Stranding poster on the wall behind them. Kojima doesn’t reference Death Stranding in any of the tweets, but the images may be saying something. Kojima is best known for creating the Metal Gear Solid franchise but launched Death Stranding on the PlayStation 4 last year (after a delay in April, the game will be available to PC players on July 14). It’s unclear what Kojima and Shinkawa are working on, but many Twitter users suspect it’s another entry in the Death Stranding universe. Some even blew up one of the images Kojima posted and discovered it referenced “Bridges,” an important company from the game.
Kojima, who has his own development house called Kojima Productions, said in an interview with Japanese gaming publication Famitsu earlier this year that he was working on several game concepts but didn’t say whether any of those titles would relate to Death Stranding. While most of the game concepts are smaller in scope than Death Stranding and may only be released digitally, one of them is a “big” game, Kojima said. Death Stranding is set in a post-apocalyptic America that weaves players through a tale of politics, big business, and a fractured society. It proved divisive, with some players calling it an achievement in gameplay and others saying it was repetitive. In a review last year, Digital Trends’ Giovanni Colantonio gave the game three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying it was a “technical marvel” but had a “slow story.” Either way, the game and Kojima have attracted a loyal audience that’s eager to see what he has planned. At least for now, he doesn’t seem ready to reveal it. Much of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach still remains a mystery despite it being announced back in 2022. However, Kojima Productions revealed a little more information at the Tokyo Game Show this past weekend, and it’s maybe weirder than you were expecting. The studio released some game footage to X (formerly Twitter) following the show, giving us insight into some of the new characters, a realistic-looking photo mode, and a choreographed dance number with a sentient puppet. So, it’s classic Hideo Kojima fare.