Hideo Kojima shares rare "pre‑COVID" look at Death Stranding 2, before the "storyline was revised" to change Sam's business casual look

Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima just revealed what I never knew was possible: the post-apocalyptic game's destroyed version of Australia is compatible with plush turtleneck sweaters. Kojima proves it with an early look at the Death Stranding 2 art book, currently available for pre-order.

Kojima posts photos of his new book sample in a February 13 post on Twitter, showing off incredible early designs for people like Sam, Death Stranding 2's most-valued delivery boy, and phenomena like "tarfalls," which Kojima seems to have first imagined as huge, sticky hills of spilled ink. Then, he gives us a glimpse of Sam and ally Fragile in what he calls a "pre‑COVID setting."

This "pre-COVID setting" must have been much more business casual, since Sam wears an uncharacteristically chic blue suit with a slinky turtleneck, while Fragile assumes a she-EO position with one hand on her hip to emphasize the square lines of her blazer dress. While I'm taking this art as an unfortunate sign that co-working spaces still exist in Kojima's vision of the apocalypse, I'm encouraged not to worry about it by what the director says on Twitter, "Once the pandemic hit, the original pre‑COVID storyline was revised." Otherwise, Sam and Fragile would have appeared "in the final scene" in Monday meeting style.

Of course, there are downsides to Kojima's change of heart about Death Stranding 2's setting. One fan writes, "We could have had the hottest Sam and fragile. FUCK." Better luck next apocalypse.

Death Stranding 2 PC port out in March with "unlocked framerates" and ultra widescreen support, Kojima truthers rejoice.