Death Stranding was the first game released by Hideo Kojima after his departure from Konami, establishing itself as a unique "strand-based" experience. Three years on, actor Norman Reedus has suggested in a recent interview that a sequel to Death Stranding is not only confirmed but also in development by Kojima Productions.
Reedus, who provided the motion capture and likeness of Death Stranding's protagonist Sam Bridges, was in discussion with Leo Edit about his media legacy and upcoming book release. Rumors about a Death Stranding sequel have been abundant since the first game's release, but Reedus' words appear to have confirmed this prior to any official statement from director Hideo Kojima.
The Walking Dead star discussed the show's finale along with his own personal projects, but it was Reedus' surprisingly candid comments about Death Stranding that have gotten gaming fans excited. When questioned about the motion-capture filming for Death Stranding, he stated clearly that "we (Kojima Productions) just started the second one." Reedus noted that the game received multiple awards and became "a huge thing," which is what prompted the crew to work on a sequel in the first place.
Reedus goes on to comment that the mocap sessions took "maybe two or three years to finish." While this may seem like a daunting timescale for sequel development, the long production time gives hope to players who wanted more beneficial gameplay features in Death Stranding. Additionally, it is likely that assets will be updated instead of redeveloped from the original Death Stranding to significantly reduce development time.
The recent Death Stranding: Director's Cut features new content and missions for PlayStation 5 and PC users, but the technical improvements may not be enough to direct attention from underwhelmed players. However, Reedus relates how Hideo Kojima emphasizes the need for human actors in media no matter how far technology advances: "...you’ll never capture the soul of a person. You will always need an actor.” This holds promise for a sequel to Death Stranding, which offered powerful performances from cast members like Mads Mikkelsen and Tommie Earl Jenkins.
Death Stranding's quiet sandbox and overarching strand themes create a stable world that future games can build off, leaving room for improvement and innovation. It is unknown when more news about Death Stranding 2 will emerge, but the success of the original coupled with Norman Reedus' presence has already gotten fans excited about an upcoming release.
Death Stranding is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.