Death Stranding 2 gets even more of Hideo Kojima's band back together as Metal Gear Solid 5 dev signs on as action director alongside other veterans

Death Stranding 2 has quietly recruited an action veteran from the likes of Metal Gear Solid 5 and Devil May Cry 5 to helm its cutscenes. 

At yesterday's PlayStation State of Play showcase, the big nine-minute trailer for Death Stranding 2 below dropped, showcasing a cyborg ninja fighting glam rocker Higgs with a laser guitar. That's all well and good, but at the seven minute, 20 second mark during the sequence in the trailer, Yoji Shimomura's name appears under the title of 'Action Director.'

It's easy to let this moment slip by, not just because it's in the middle of an intense fight, but because Shimomura isn't commonly known among international audiences. However, he's worked as an action director, or movie director, on over 16 games, including multiple entries in the Devil May Cry series, the Bayonetta series, and with Hideo Kojima previously on Metal Gear Solid 5.

'Action Director' is a bit of a loose title, and it's easy to assume Shimomura would be involved in the literal action of Death Stranding 2 and the act of playing it. Given his history with movie direction though, and where his name pops up in the cinematic fight during the Death Stranding 2 trailer, it's far more likely that he's instead choreographing the cutscene action. 

Hours after the new trailer dropped, Kojima himself acknowledged Shimomura's involvement with Death Stranding 2 in the tweet below. It turns out a lot of long-time Kojima collaborators are coming together to work on the new game: there's Kyle Cooper, who's been around since Metal Gear Solid 2, and Ludvig Forssell and Shimomura, both of whom Kojima first worked with on Metal Gear Solid 5.

Taking a look at Shimomura's history, it looks like the director didn't initially join Hideo Kojima and many other ex-Konami staff at Kojima Productions after they left in 2015. He apparently went to work for Capcom on Devil May Cry 5, helming the cutscenes in the sequel, and has now returned to Kojima Productions to collaborate with Kojima once again.

Aside from this, we finally know that yes, Death Stranding 2's subtitle is 'On the Beach,' and it's coming out next year in 2025. There's also a very impressive ship that somehow reminds me of Metal Gear Rex, and the sequel also stars a very weird dummy that's a dead ringer for Alan Wake. The more you know.

Read up on our upcoming PS5 games guide for a full look at all the other exclusives Sony has lined up for its new-gen console.