Hideo Kojima took to the stage at SXSW 2025 in Austin, TX this evening to reveal an epic new trailer for
Death Stranding 2 launches on June 26, 2025 exclusively on PlayStation 5. However, those who buy the Digital Deluxe Edition or the Collector’s Edition get two days of early access from June 24.
The 10-minute long video, below, includes various cinematics, gameplay clips, and, perhaps most notably, a close look at a character who many are already saying looks a lot like Snake from Kojima’s world famous Metal Gear franchise.
The character, Neil, played by Italian actor Luca Marinelli, is seen putting on a bandanna, as Snake does, before leading a team of creepy looking soldiers. The similarity to Solid Snake is remarkable.
Perhaps Marinelli’s Snake-like role in Death Stranding 2 shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. In a 2020 Instagram post, Kojima heaped praise on the actor, saying that if he wore a bandanna he’d be a “spitting image” of Solid Snake.
“There are many actors that I follow,” Kojima said at the time. “Luca Marinelli recently caught my eye after watching The Old Guard and Martin Eden. He played an impressive villain in They Call Me Jeeg Robot, but I think that he will break out soon, and his popularity will increase. Also, I think if he donned a bandanna, he’d be a spitting image of Solid Snake!”
The trailer continues the Metal Gear vibes with the Magellan Man, a huge tar-like creature fused with the DHV Magellan that looks a bit like Metal Gear Rex (a 15″ statue of the Magellan Man is included in the Collector’s Edition). The Magellan Man appears to be operated like a Pacific Rim-style mech, and faces off against enormous and very creepy tar monsters.
The standard edition of Death Stranding 2 costs $69.99, as expected. The Collector’s Edition, meanwhile, costs $229.99. The Digital Deluxe Edition costs $79.99. Pre-orders begin on March 17.
Continuing the story of Death Stranding, which has had over 19 million players worldwide since its release on November 8, 2019, Death Stranding 2 carries the tagline, ‘Should We Have connected?’ Here’s the official blurb:
Embark on an inspiring mission of human connection beyond the UCA. Sam — with companions by his side — sets out on a new journey to save humanity from extinction. Join them as they traverse a world beset by otherworldly enemies, obstacles and a haunting question: should we have connected? Step by step, legendary game creator Hideo Kojima changes the world once again.
Meanwhile, Kojima announced the Death Stranding global concert tour,…