As Hideo Kojima celebrates Death Stranding 2's release, he says "there were moments when I truly felt like we might never finish this game"

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is properly out in the wild, but there were times when even director Hideo Kojima thought he wouldn't be able to finish making the open-world blockbuster.

"Death Stranding 2 is out now," the Metal Gear Solid auteur wrote in a heartfelt social media post, before falling into his usually cryptic ways. "It's raining today – maybe because I regard myself as the 'Rain guy', I guess.

"Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the game. During the pandemic, there were moments when I truly felt like we might never finish this game… To have made it to this day is overwhelming. Thank you all so much!"

All things considered, Death Stranding 2 had a pretty smooth turnaround. The first game's contemplative cross-country hiking divided everyone in 2019, and then got a pretty beefy director's cut with extra content. So a five-ish year gap between sequels – all while a global pandemic slowed production down in the middle – actually seems quite prompt by AAA standards.

This isn't the first time Kojima's talked about how the pandemic affected him personally, either. He recently recalled how empty an almost entirely digital existence felt, which was especially apt considering that Death Stranding was all about reconnecting the world via a fictionalized take on the internet. And although the Death Stranding 2 script was done by the time we all went into lockdown, Kojima's resolve to make games "that don't already exist" in the future was only strengthened (even if he sometimes doubted whether he could finish On the Beach at all).

Jumping in? Be sure to check out our Death Stranding 2 review, and when you've rolled credits, make sure to check out our guide to Death Stranding 2's ending explained.