Highlights

  • Death Stranding 2 will take place on a different continent than the previous game.
  • Since the new setting won't be a UCA territory, Norman Reedus's Sam Porter Bridges will operate as part of a private organization this time around, because the UCA's presence in the region would be considered an invasion.
  • The mysterious private entity will be led by Léa Seydoux's Fragile.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will take place on a different continent than the previous game, Hideo Kojima has revealed. The famous video game designer confirmed this detail about his upcoming PlayStation exclusive as part of a recent interview that also saw him disclose some other information about Death Stranding 2.

The sequel to the 2019 PlayStation console exclusive was first announced in late 2022 at The Game Awards. Over a year later, Death Stranding 2 was treated to a wild new trailer nearly 10 minutes long that confirmed its official title and some story details. The video also suggested that the game would take Norman Reedus's Sam Porter Bridges to an entirely new location. Kojima has now definitely confirmed that in a recent video interview posted on his company's YouTube channel.

Hideo Kojima laughing next to Kojima Productions logo in PHYSINT announcement video
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Death Stranding 2 Is Not Set in North America

"This is a different continent," the industry veteran noted around the 12:52 mark. Although Kojima did not outright name the continent where the game takes place, he did elaborate on his remark and revealed one new lore detail in the process: the upcoming action adventure will see Sam expand Death Stranding's Chiral Network as a member of a private organization. That's because the denizens of the unnamed continent on which the next game takes place could consider any local operation by the United Cities of America (UCA) as an act of invasion.

Kojima also mentioned that the exploration team this mysterious entity will be sending will be led by Léa Seydoux's Fragile, one of the returning characters in Death Stranding 2. "She's no longer her weak self from the past," the director remarked, before moving on to explain how the upcoming game will feature real-time terrain change like floods, forest fires, and earthquakes. The interview also saw Kojima confirm that the monstrosity shaped like a giant creepy crab that can be seen slashing at Sam around the 4:30 mark in the January 31 trailer was another BT, like some fans had suspected.

Death Stranding 2 giant crab hand-like BT screenshot

Looking at the geography showcased in the latest Death Stranding 2 trailer doesn't really help narrow down the list of its potential settings, even when Kojima's recent hint is taken into account. For example, Sam can be seen trekking through a massive arid desert at one point during the video, but those exist on every continent bar Antarctica, and could still exist in the game's post-apocalyptic version of Antarctica. Likewise, the landmarks showcased in the video are completely alien, much like those from Death Stranding.

A New Continent May Not Be the Only Change to Death Stranding 2's Setting

Aside from being set on a new continent, the setting of Death Stranding 2 may also be different in terms of human-made environments on offer. Namely, both its 2022 and 2024 trailers suggested that the upcoming game, which is currently targeting a 2025 release, will feature more indoor locations than its predecessor.