If you're planning to dive into the world of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, don't expect Cliff to be with you. According to creator and game director Hideo Kojima, Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal) will not be returning for the 2025 sequel.

For those who need a quick reminder, Mads Mikkelsen played Captain Cliff Unger, the secondary antagonist, in the original Death Stranding, released in 2019. Throughout the game, Cliff would bring Sam into his war-themed Beach and attack him with BTs. Mads' performance as the militant entity brought him critical acclaim, leading to several awards, including Best Performance at The Game Awards that year.

Why isn't Mads Mikkelsen in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach?

Despite the overwhelming praise for Mads' role in Death Stranding, Kojima expla??in??ed both he and Mads believe that Cliff's story was told the best way possible and want to close that chapter on the character.

While I was a fan of Cliff in the original, I wholeheartedly agree that the character shouldn't come back. It feels wrong when any form of entertainment brings well-off characters back for nostalgia or shock value. I'm looking at you, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League with your Arkham Batman.

Regardless, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach looks like a wild ride. Its latest trailer at the recent State of Play was...interesting. Troy Baker's Higgs is alive and looking like Gene Simmons and The Joker had a baby, and we now have a sentient puppet moving at 10 fps. Oh, and Mad Max director George Miller is here. I'm sure it'll all make se?nse when ??the game releases in 2025, but it's still crazy to think it could get weirder.

For fans of Cliff, don't lose hope just yet. We may see the character done in live-action from the A24 adaptation of Kojima's 'Strand' genre game. I wouldn't put it past Koji?ma to cast ev??eryone, even Mads, as their characters again. All we can do is wait and see.

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There's something comforting in not only Death Stranding getting a sequel, but its trailers not getting any less strange. In fact, today's State of Play trailer was maybe the most bizarre look yet, spotlighting an entire new region for Sam t??o connect, and a release window of 2025.

Now apparently dubbed Death Stranding 2 On The Beach, I'm not sure where to start with all this. Sam "Porter" Bridges, portrayed again by Norman Reedus, is back in the lead. Fragile is back too, with a hand-based ??neck apparatus that can act as both a mask and as just, uh, hands.

Sam and pals ?are back on a new journey to save humanity from extinction amidst the Death Stranding, where enemies are still around every corner. We see packages being delivered, people floating in the air, and plenty of familiar iconography. But there are ?plenty of twists and turns.

Higgs looks to be back, as a Joker-fied version of himself, shredding a guitar while fighting a robot samurai with a baby voice. Still processing that one. There's also a puppet companion, almost lik??e a Jiminy Cricket-style charact?er? Who can do vampire eyes? It's wild.

Honestly, bring it on. I'd always rather have something weird and outside my expectations run headfirst into walls than something that feels too safe. And while Death Stranding 2 certainly seems like it's iterating on the original, there's plenty of ?new and weird here to keep m?e interested.

Death Stranding 2 is planned for 2025.

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Though the studio remains forever secretive, Kojima Productions has been gracious enough to provide fans a sneak peek into two upcoming projects: the Death Stranding sequel and OD. On Twitter, Hideo Kojima recently gave an update on Death Stranding 2's development.

He explains that 2024 entails another year of development for the game which is being produced at the same time as OD. Death Stranding 2 still "has some ADR left" and after that, the studio will focus on doing Japanese voice-overs. There's still no official release date for Death Stranding 2, but with ??Kojima discussing "another year of development," a 2025 launch wouldn't be out of the question.

A busy year for Kojima Productions

During The Game Awards 2023, Kojima spoke a bit about OD which is described as a title that will defy expectations and expand the medium. He's enlisted the help of movie-maker Jordan Peele, an?d we've received a cryptic teaser trailer, though we're still stuck without a release date.

Although Kojima intends to limit his business trips this year, he's still busy turning Death Stranding into a movie, collaborating on the Avengers, and working on OD in addition to other video projects. He also mentions a writin?g project along with the po??ssible revival of Hide Radio and "a special program on 'HideTube'."

It appears it's a busy year ahead for Kojima Productions, but we may see the fruits of the studio's labor soon. Plenty of the upcoming projects intrigue me, but I'm particularly interested to see how Death Stranding's movie adaptation will be handled. Although the game is teeming with lengthy cutscenes, it'll be a tall task to capture the unique atmosphere e?stablished by the? gameplay.

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What accomplishment doesn't he want to achieve?

Being one of the most recognizable faces in all of game development, Hideo Kojima is known for his outlandish ideas. While he rose to fame with the Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid franchises, his legacy continued with 2019's Death Stranding, a game synonymous with surrealism.

Now, the man h??imself has shown an interest in literally reaching for the stars. In a recent YouTube video, Hideo Kojima was asked by Geoff Keighley about achievements he still has in mind as he approaches 60. Speaking through an interpreter, the director said that he wants to go into outer space. The comment inspires some laughter from the audience. Kojima then goes on to say that he wants to make a game in space that the player can play while also floating about in the cosmos.

To hear the quote, skip ahead to around 23:19.

//youtu.be/fAAbAAqHEic?t=1299

Anybody who knows the man and his work can say for certain that this is probably not a surprising dream. If you're a fan of his games, you may describe him as a "visionary." He's not always appreciated, but he definitely leaves an impact. Of course, seeing as Hideo Kojima likes to tease, it's entirely possible that this comment? about going into space is a bit of a joke on his part.

Still, it's interesting to imagine what a game in space would be like, and if anyone's going to do it, it may as well be Kojima. However, we seem to be some way off before we regular folk can take trips to the? stars. A video game that's been developed and is playable off-planet sounds koo?ky in a way that a lot of Kojima's ideas sound kooky. But, at the risk of bursting any bubbles, the prospect of such a game would probably be only suitable for the ultrarich. So Bezos could play it, but not you and I.

Besides, Kojima still needs to finish Death Stranding 2, not to mention that Xbox game he's said to be working on.

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BB has come to

Another strand game is finally on the way. Kojima Productions officially unveiled Death Stranding 2 at The Game Awards 2022 tonight.

Studio head Hideo Kojima took to the stage tonight to introduce the project, a sequel to 2019's Death Stranding. The trailer featured several familiar faces, including Norman Reedu??s as Sam Bridges and Léa Seydoux? as Fragile.

As for what's happening in the trailer? I couldn't tell you if I tried. But really, that's the appeal of Death Stranding to begin with, and Death Stranding 2 is ca?rrying on the bizarre, vague trai??ler tradition.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp6fSjMb0MQ

Not many more details have been revealed just yet. As is the case with a Kojima trailer, I'm sure eagle-eyed viewers will pick the video apart for hints and clues about what's going on, and what's transpired in the dystopian American future of Death Stranding leading into Death Stranding 2.

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