Death Stranding 2: On the Beach composer Woodkid recently confirmed that Hideo Kojima made changes to the game to make it more polarizing. Death Stranding 2 is set to launch on the PlayStation 5 on June 26 and will continue the story of Sam Porter Bridges as he and Fragile set out to reconnect the world following the events of the first game.
While plenty of gamers praised the original Death Stranding for its haunting atmosphere and memorable themes, there are just as many who derided it as a “boring walking simulator.” Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima promised that Death Stranding 2 will be more action-packed, but hopes that the upcoming sequel will still be divisive in its own way. Sure enough, he recently expressed concern when early playtesters reportedly gave Death Stranding 2 a higher score than its predecessor.
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This subject came up when Rolling Stone spoke with Yoann “Woodkid” Lemoine, the composer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Woodkid says that a “key moment” came about halfway through the game’s development, where Kojima approached him and discussed how Death Stranding 2 was scoring higher among the early playtesters than he would have liked. According to Woodkid, Kojima took this as a sign that the game wasn’t polarizing enough and set out to change the story, including how certain crucial events play out.
Woodkid Says Kojima Changed Death Stranding 2 to Be More Polarizing
Of course, Woodkid didn’t give any specific examples of how Kojima changed Death Stranding 2’s plot, but says that these changes were made to trigger more emotions in players. As Woodkid tells it, Kojima explained to him that he doesn’t want to make “mainstream” or “conventional” games that people enjoy right off the bat, but rather experiences that grow on the player over time. Woodkid says that this was “a lesson” for him in his own work: not to make things to please people, but to “make them shift a little bit and move them.”
Woodkid says that he worked closely with Hideo Kojima for three years on Death Stranding 2’s music, which, like Clair Expedition 33‘s soundtrack, was designed to change dynamically based on the player’s in-game actions. While the game itself isn’t set to launch until next week, fans can already sample Woodkid’s work on Death Stranding 2 by purchasing the game’s official soundtrack. If Woodkid’s recent comments are of any indication, then Hideo Kojima’s latest project will be just as subversive and controversial as his previous outings – and the eclectic creator wouldn’t have it any other way.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Released
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June 26, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Publisher(s)
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Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Engine
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Decima
- Franchise
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Death Stranding
- Number of Players
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Single-player
- PS5 Release Date
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June 26, 2025
