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Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Arrives in June – And Yes, There’s a Fake Snake
March 10, 2025Strap on your backpacks, BBs, and existential crises—Kojima is back. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach officially drops on June 26, 2025, and fans finally got a fresh look at the highly anticipated sequel during Kojima’s SXSW panel event.
As expected, the new 10-minute trailer was packed with mind-bending landscapes, cryptic storytelling, and unsettling creatures, plus a few surprises that only Kojima’s brain could cook up. Chief among them? A new character named Neil who looks suspiciously like a bootleg Solid Snake. Yes, you read that right—Kojima couldn’t resist sneaking in a Metal Gear reference because, well, it’s Kojima.
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The Fake Snake Mystery – Who is Neil?
Toward the end of the trailer, we’re introduced to Neil, played by Luca Marinelli, a brand-new character rocking a bandana that looks way too familiar. If you’ve played even a single Metal Gear Solid game, you know that bandana plus rugged protagonist usually equals Snake—except this time, it’s not.
Fans are already speculating about Neil’s role in the story. Is he just a fun callback to Kojima’s past, or will he have a bigger connection to the larger mystery of Death Stranding 2? One thing’s for sure: Kojima is having way too much fun teasing Metal Gear fans while keeping them firmly planted in his post-apocalyptic mail-delivery simulation.
What’s New in Death Stranding 2?
Kojima isn’t just bringing back the familiar terrain of Death Stranding’s eerie, isolated world—he’s expanding it. The latest footage shows Sam Bridges exploring new environments, from lush forests and snowy mountains to storm-ravaged cities. While the first game felt like a road trip across Iceland, this sequel seems determined to add more variety and, naturally, more ways to make Sam’s job even harder.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Kojima game without mysterious factions, bizarrely named characters, and some nightmare-inducing BTs. If you thought the first game’s enemies were unsettling, just wait until you see the new horrors Kojima has lined up.
There are also hints that real-world events, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, influenced the game’s themes. While the exact storyline remains a mystery, expect plenty of deep, philosophical reflections on isolation, connection, and the human experience—all wrapped in high-tech, sci-fi weirdness.
Kojima’s Love for Simple Names Strikes Again
Death Stranding was already known for its straight-to-the-point character names like Die-Hardman and Fragile, and it looks like Kojima isn’t changing his naming strategy anytime soon.
The new trailer introduced us to characters named Dollman, Doctor, and Rainy—all of which sound like NPCs you’d meet in a post-apocalyptic town where people have long abandoned last names.
It’s unclear how these characters fit into the story, but if Kojima’s previous work is anything to go by, expect them to have deeply emotional backstories, tragic arcs, and a surprising amount of philosophical dialogue about life, death, and the meaning of delivery packages.
The Soundtrack – Woodkid’s “To The Wilder” Sets the Mood
Music has always played a huge role in Death Stranding’s eerie, contemplative atmosphere, and Kojima isn’t cutting corners with the sequel. The new trailer is backed by “To The Wilder,” a song from French musician Woodkid, and it’s already setting the tone for the next round of Sam Bridges’ lonely adventures.
And if that wasn’t enough, Kojima is going all-in on live music this time. The Death Stranding Strands of Harmony World Tour is officially happening, kicking off at the Sydney Opera House on November 8, 2025, and traveling across 12 countries before ending in Toronto on March 28, 2026.
It’s unclear what kind of performances the tour will feature, but knowing Kojima, it’ll probably be part live concert, part theatrical experience, and part mysterious cryptic teaser for whatever game he’s working on next.
Pre-Orders, Collector’s Edition, and the Price of Hideo Kojima’s Genius
For fans who can’t wait to get their hands on Death Stranding 2, pre-orders go live on March 17, 2025. And if you’re a hardcore Kojima collector, you might want to start saving now—a leak ahead of the SXSW panel suggests that the Collector’s Edition will cost a hefty $230.
If past Kojima collector’s editions are anything to go by, expect it to include some sort of highly detailed, mildly disturbing figurine, a futuristic-looking steelbook, and possibly a collectible item you’ll never fully understand but will cherish anyway. With the release just a few months away, the hype is real, the theories are wild, and Death Stranding 2 is shaping up to be just as weird, ambitious, and emotionally heavy as we’d hoped.
While games are fun, it’s highly important to note that there’s more to life than sitting countless hours playing video games – there’s a purpose and more to life; seek out that purpose more often!
