Kojima: Death Stranding 3 Is Already Planned, But Wants Someone Else to Make It

Most developers, after launching a critically acclaimed sequel just two months ago, would probably be taking a victory lap. Not Hideo Kojima. With Death Stranding 2: On the Beach still fresh on our PlayStations, the man has already moved on. In a recent interview, Kojima confirmed that not only is he thinking about a third game, he's already written the concept for it. But in the most Kojima move imaginable, he has no plans to actually make it himself.

Credit: Death Stranding 2

The Finale... That Isn't

Speaking in Riyadh as part of the Death Stranding 2 World Strand Tour, Kojima was asked the inevitable question about a third installment. His answer was a perfect blend of finality and maddening creative foresight.

"I'm not planning to do that at the moment, because the ending of Death Stranding 2 was my finale of 1 and 2," he said, before immediately contradicting the very idea of a finale. "But I already wrote the concept of DS3, so I have that in data. I hope that someone would create it for me".

Let that sink in. The guy writes a two-part saga, completes it, and then immediately writes the concept for a third part just to hand it off. You have to respect the sheer audacity. He’s essentially created the world's most elaborate group project assignment and is now looking for someone to do the work.

A Will on a USB Stick

This isn't the first time Kojima has openly planned for a future beyond his own direct involvement. It taps into his recent, and slightly morbid, preoccupation with his own legacy. Back in May, he mentioned creating a "will" on a USB stick that contains all his ideas, meant to guide Kojima Productions after he's gone. He's a man so brimming with ideas that he's already planning for their posthumous execution.

It's a fascinating, if slightly strange, look into the mind of a creator who is constantly several steps ahead of everyone else, including himself. He finishes a story and, in the same breath, creates the blueprint for its continuation, all while simultaneously planning for his studio's creative future after his death. Normal stuff.

While we won't be playing a Kojima-directed Death Stranding 3 anytime soon, it's not like he's taking a break. Between the live-action A24 film adaptation of the first game, his new horror project OD, and the action espionage game Physint, his plate is full. The man is an undeniable creative force, and if being a genius means he's a little weird about planning sequels he doesn't want to make, then who are we to argue?