Death Stranding 2 pre-orders are estimated to go live this month, and will reportedly include a $230 collector's edition that I pray doesn't come with another creepy baby statue

Pre-orders for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach are apparently set to go live very soon, but my thoughts go out to any massive fans of the original who are now reportedly going to be faced with spending $230 on the sequel's collector's edition.

In a new report from known leaker billbil-kun (via Dealabs), it's claimed that pre-orders are expected to go up sometime this month, although the exact date isn't currently known. As you'd hope (and expect), standard physical versions will reportedly be available, as well as the expensive collector's edition that's apparently set to release in North America and Europe.

The report doesn't go into any detail about what will be included in this allegedly pricey package, but the original game's own collector's edition was full of physical goodies – as well as digital ones – to help seal the deal. As well as some exclusive in-game items, a digital music album and behind-the-scenes video, you got a keychain of Kojima Productions mascot Ludens, a steelbook for the game itself, a Bridges cargo case and, uh, a statue of a Bridge baby pod, complete with baby inside.

I'll admit, the baby pod doesn't come at the top of my list of game-themed statues and figurines I'd want staring at me on a shelf, but you do you. Regardless, the old collector's edition had a pretty solid selection of stuff for the discerning trinket collector, so let's hope fans get something similar this time (but perhaps without the baby).

Meanwhile, we're still waiting for director Hideo Kojima to release the next trailer for the game that he's been teasing since before the recent PlayStation State of Play. It's worth noting that he'll be appearing at SXSW in Texas on March 9 for a Death Stranding 2 panel, so there'll definitely be some new details to come from that, and who knows, perhaps that's when he'll show the trailer, too? It'd all tie together nicely with pre-orders actually going live, so we'll have to wait and see.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach gets new details from PlayStation, teasing fans with info on its combat, story, and "large open-world environments."