It looks like Hideo Kojima wanted to add Cliff "Cliffy B" Bleszinski to the star-studded Death Stranding cast. The creator of Gears of War took to Twitter to point out that Kojima asked him to lend his likeness to the game.
After Kojima tweeted on October 24 that Conan O'Brien has a cameo in Death Stranding as 'The Wondering MC', God of War Director Cory Barlog responded with "Who isn't in this game? Oh that's right. Me." Bleszinski responded to Barlog with what can only be described as a humblebrag, saying Kojima asked him to get involved while he was in Japan, but he "opted out" as it was during the collapse of his studio Boss Key Productions.
He asked me to come get scanned when I was in Japan but it was as BKP was nearly over and I was starting my "lay low" phase and opted out. Kinda regret it.October 24, 2019
Bleszinski founded Boss Key Productions in 2014 and the studio produced two games that failed commercially. He announced in May of 2019 that he was shutting down the studio and stepping back from the world of video games to focus on his family, which meant turning down the chance to be in Death Stranding. "I kinda regret it," Bleszinski wrote in his response to Barlog.
The Gears of War creator would have joined a stacked roster of celebrity cameos and roles, which includes Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), Lea Seydoux (James Bond, Blue is the Warmest Color), Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal), Margaret Qualley (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Troy Baker (The Last of Us), games journalist Geoff Keighley, and of course, Conan O'Brien.
Considering the rather obtuse names given to the characters of both Keighley and O'Brien ('LUDENS fan' and 'The Wondering MC,' respectively), it's a fun little exercise to try and come up with names for Bleszinski's potential character. 'The Meat Shield' or the 'The Crucial COG' are both good options.
Death Stranding will release exclusively for PS4 on November 8. Here's our Death Stranding pre-order guide.
