Hideo Kojima on Creativity and Crunch During Death Stranding 2 Development

Hideo Kojima, the visionary behind the Metal Gear series, has recently shared his thoughts on the sustainability of his creative career while also revealing that his latest project, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, is currently in the intense "crunch time" phase of development. Through a series of posts on X/Twitter, Kojima expressed his fatigue and described the crunch period as "the most demanding" part of game development, both physically and mentally.

Crunch time, a term familiar to the gaming industry, refers to the period when developers work extended hours, often sacrificing days off, to meet project deadlines. Despite many studios pledging to avoid such practices following recent controversies, Kojima's candid admission about his studio's current situation is noteworthy. He detailed the myriad tasks piling up during this phase, including mixing, Japanese voice recording, writing comments, explanations, essays, interviews, discussions, and other non-game-related work, labeling it as "incredibly tough."

Although Kojima did not explicitly mention Death Stranding 2, the game is the most likely candidate for being in crunch, given its scheduled 2025 release and the typical timing of crunch periods towards the end of development. Other projects at Kojima Productions, such as OD and Physint, are believed to be in earlier stages and do not yet have release dates.

The most demanding period of game development—both physically and mentally—commonly known as “crunch time.” On top of mixing and Japanese voice recording, there’s an inevitable pile of other tasks: writing comments, explanations, essays, interviews, discussions, and… https://t.co/FrXRgaS748

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) January 10, 2025

Kojima's reflections on his career longevity were sparked not by the current crunch but by his recent purchase of a Ridley Scott biography. At 61, Kojima pondered how much longer he could remain creative, expressing a desire to continue working indefinitely but acknowledging the uncertainty of how many more years he has left. He drew inspiration from Ridley Scott, who remains active at 87 and created the masterpiece Gladiator past the age of 60.

Despite nearing four decades in the video game industry, Kojima's determination to keep creating should reassure fans that retirement is not imminent. In September, an extended gameplay reveal of Death Stranding 2 showcased its characteristic eccentricity, featuring a bizarre photo mode, dancing puppet men, and a character portrayed by George Miller, the director of Mad Max. An introduction to the game's story was shared in January, though its complex themes leave much to the imagination. Kojima has confirmed which characters will not be returning, and IGN's 6/10 review of the original Death Stranding noted that while the game offered a fascinating world of supernatural sci-fi, its gameplay struggled to support its ambitious narrative.