Kojima will be at SGF 2025 before the release of DS2

Hideo Kojima will be one of the highlights of Summer Game Fest 2025, with a confirmed presence on stage at the event on June 6, live from the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles. The information was disclosed by Geoff Keighley, creator and host of SGF, on his official account on X (formerly Twitter). So far, the details of Kojima's participation have not been revealed, but the proximity to the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach raises expectations.

Officially announced in 2022, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be exclusive to PlayStation 5 and is set to be released on June 26, 2025. The title is the direct sequel to Death Stranding, originally released in 2019 and later re-released as Director’s Cut for PS5 and PC. The sequel brings back characters like Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus), Fragile (Léa Seydoux), and Higgs (Troy Baker), as well as new names in the cast like Elle Fanning and Shioli Kutsuna.

The Kojima Productions has already released trailers with gameplay and cinematic scenes, highlighting a more open setting, focus on narrative, and expanded traversal and construction mechanics. According to recent interviews, the game will delve even deeper into themes like connection, isolation, and reconstruction, topics that have become a signature of Kojima's work since the Metal Gear era.

Despite the hype surrounding DS2, there are criticisms of the lack of clarity about its core mechanics and the abundance of puzzles in its promotion. In previous statements, Kojima stated that he is trying to "create a new type of game again". The phrase brings back memories of the promotion of Death Stranding (2019), which divided opinions between those who considered it a masterpiece and those who saw it as a dragged-out experience.

The Summer Game Fest, which replaced the now-defunct E3 as the main showcase of the industry, will be livestreamed on various channels, including YouTube and Twitch, and is expected to feature announcements from dozens of studios and publishers. The 2024 edition brought new trailers for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Alan Wake 2, and Lies of P — and this year's event is expected to keep up the pace.

With the presence of Kojima and the release of Death Stranding 2 just a few days away, SGF 2025 becomes one of the last opportunities for the Japanese creator to contextualize his new work before it reaches the public.