Fans of the Death Stranding series were sent into a frenzy over the weekend as Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima shared a post of Norman Reedus alongside Keanu Reeves, to his 1.9 million Instagram followers. With no other news on the highly-anticipated sequel, fans were left wondering what direction Kojima’s blockbuster game series would be taking.
Hideo Kojima rose to fame in the gaming world through his work on the celebrated video game series Metal Gear for the Japanese gaming titans, Konami. Throughout his work, Kojima has been highly regarded for his revolutionary approach to game design, incorporating cyberpunk aesthetics and a unique world-building approach; he’s been celebrated for completely reinventing the action game genre.
After Kojima broke away from Konami in 2015, Kojima Productions, his own game company, partnered with Sony to release the first of Kojima’s independent games, Death Stranding, on PlayStation 5.
Kojima’s incredible world-building skills coupled with some of Hollywood’s biggest names portraying an array of characters along the way, meant the first instalment of Death Stranding was a huge success, set in the post-apocalyptic U.S. following the events of a “Death Stranding” event.
Watch the Death Stranding trailer below.
Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead) plays the lead character Sam Porter Bridges in the video game series; a freelance porter who removed himself from society after the events that followed the “Death Stranding”.
Such is Kojima’s rich story-telling and world-building in this game, that Death Stranding could be considered a cinematic story. Kojima has often commented on his love for anime and his belief that the lines between games and movies are becoming blurred and that the two forms will compete in the future of entertainment.
For the consumer, it creates a uniquely immersive gaming experience, buoyed by performances from some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Following a cryptic Instagram post shared by Hideo Kojima, speculation was rife as to what direction the Death Stranding game series could be going in, with many hoping that Hollywood’s favourite son had joined the franchise.
Keanu Reeves, a real-life action hero and actor who’s familiar with lending his iconic likeness to blockbuster games, portrays Johnny Silverhand in the 2020 RPG, Cyberpunk 2077. The Canadian-American actor is best known for his role as Neo in the classic Matrix franchise and more recently as lethal assassin John Wick in the titular role.
It wouldn’t be the first time that Kojima had brought in some of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters to play iconic roles within his gaming universe, with global stars such as Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale), Elle Fanning (The Great) Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool 2), Lea Seydoux (No Time To Die), and renowned voiceover artist Troy Baker who voiced Joel in the original game of HBO’s series, The Last of Us.
Details surrounding Kojima’s highly-anticipated sequel are still under wraps, but if we’re to believe that Keanu Reeves has joined the illustrious project, expect Death Stranding 2 to reach never-before-seen heights.