"I'm so glad we never gave up on making this game": Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima celebrates his latest hit's launch with its stars, says "I won't let go again"

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"I will treasure these connections and keep pushing forward"

Death Stranding 2 screenshot
(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

Hideo Kojima has been celebrating the launch of his new hit Death Stranding 2, and says he's "so glad" that he and the team at Kojima Productions "never gave up" on making it.

Back at the game's actual release last week, Kojima noted that "during the pandemic, there were moments when I truly felt like we might never finish this game," adding that "to have made it to this day is overwhelming." Now, taking to Twitter following his appearance at the Death Stranding World Strand Tour 2 in London yesterday, he's been very open about how much the night itself and the game mean to him.

"It was a truly special night in my life. I'll never forget what happened today," Kojima begins, going on to thank special guests Norman Reedus and Léa Seydoux, as well as Caroline Polachek, Geoff Keighley, and Chvrches (who all appeared at the event), in addition to his friends and fans. "I will treasure these connections and keep pushing forward. There may be all kinds of things waiting in the future, but I hope to face them by remembering this very day," he adds.

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Continuing, he says: "We all came together to reconnect the 'strands' that were once severed by the pandemic. I'm so glad we never gave up on making this game. I won't let go again. Thank you."

During the evening, Kojima also spoke about Death Stranding 2's excellent reviews, and although he previously expressed concerns about making the game too likeable, he's clearly not actually upset with the glowing praise it's now received. He states: "I'm happy with the scores, thank you."

However, he "was so bummed" that the game's Easter eggs were so quickly shared around on social media, but he does take some responsibility for that. "I'm retweeting all these things, so the blame is on me."

If you've not started Kojima's latest hit yet, be sure to take a look at our Death Stranding 2 review. Meanwhile, if you're already finished, you can check out our guide to Death Stranding 2's ending explained.

Catherine Lewis
Catherine Lewis
Deputy News Editor

I'm GamesRadar+'s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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