Hideo Kojima, the man behind games such as Metal Gear and Death Stranding said that he had to completely rewrite Death Stranding 2 in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and start things from scratch, feeling that the story written before wouldn't resonate as well with players that have gone through the pandemic.

Speaking to IGN, Kojima explained that the sheer scale of COVID-19's effect on the world made it impossible not to take into consideration the new developments caused by it.

“It was the same with 9/11. Fiction changes when something that big happens. When something takes place that nobody thought was possible, works of fiction written before it become less effective as entertainment.”

He went on to say “That's why I completely rewrote DS2 from its themes up as well. You can't pretend that something this big never happened. While the games themselves are based on characters who are not bound by our reality, the players themselves have gone through the pandemic, and a story written before that experience just wouldn't resonate with them in the same way, whether it was a fantasy story or a sci-fi one.”

Alongside its effect on the development of Death Stranding 2, Kojima also voiced his concerns about the distance he believes the pandemic continues to put between people. "I personally feel a sense of danger regarding the continued movement toward promoting remote work, leaving Tokyo, and minimising the amount of face-to-face contact required because of the pandemic," he says. "Humans exist in a physical reality. When I went to America and finally got to hug people again, that feeling was just so different."

Speaking about the Death Stranding movie adaptation, Hideo Kojima confirmed that he has received a lot of offers, but his intention was not to make a blockbuster film. Hammerstone Studios' Alex Lebovici was the only one that offered to make a film with a more artsy approach, thus making their partnership happen.

In regards to story and characters, Hideo Kojima hasn't decided on anything yet, but he confirmed he will take the movie in a direction that nobody has tried before with a movie adaptation of a game.