Hideo Kojima unveils first look at Death Stranding anime – and its intriguing subtitle, too

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The first look at the upcoming Death Stranding anime is here, and to ramp up the excitement, creator Hideo Kojima also revealed the film's working title, Mosquito, too. Consider us intrigued!

From Beyond the Strand, Kojima Productions' livestreamed 10th anniversary event, the writer-director rolled out a couple of clips; the first of which opened on a man, with some sort of tentacle on his face, fully submerged in some water. As first shared by IGN, he then swims up to a human-shaped "something". The second shows the same tentacle-faced man on land, in the Timefall, as he defends some creepy, tar-looking creatures – that appear like they're made of the same substance as that on his nose and mouth – from someone in a porter suit.

At one point during the fight, the mysterious protagonist's appendage disappears. Watch the teaser above.

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During a brief discussion afterwards, Kojima and the anime's director Hiroshi Miyamoto reportedly teased that the working title refers to the fact that the main character... sucks something through his slimy apparatus, though not blood, as you would expect from a 'Mosquito'. It was also confirmed that the movie's animation would be hand-drawn before being digitally assembled, and that Aaron Guzikowski (Raised by Wolves) will write the scenario script.

Death Stranding: Mosquito isn't the only Death Stranding movie currently in the works, either. Also at the event, Kojima shared that he won't be super involved with A24's live-action adaptation, with writer-director Michael Sarnoski saying: "We really want to capture the soul of the game."

A release date for Death Stranding: Mosquito has yet to be announced, but we'll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, check out our guide to the most exciting new anime heading our way, or our picks of the best anime movies of all time.

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.