Hideo Kojima has confirmed that the recent rꦑumours of a Death Stranding sequel that wou✃ld have been exclusive to Google Stadia but was ultimately rejected by Phil Harrison is "unfounded".
Last month, a rumour from 9to5Google claimed that Hideo Kojima had pౠitched a follow-up to Death Stranding to Google that would have been exclusive to Stadia, a pitch that was reportedly rejected by Phil Harrison for its single-player focus. At the time, the story raised som🌺e questions, as Sony owns the rights to Death Strand♔ing and a sequel is seemingly already in the works. Although some took the report to mean a Death Stranding sequel, by follow-up it seemed to be referring to Overdose.
Kojima has now🌃 referenced that rumouღr , Brain Structure, claiming that a sequel to Death Stranding for Google Stadia is untrue. The episode features Kojima and Geoff Keighley talking about rumours and how fake news spreads, and one of the topics that comes up is the rumour about a Google Stadia sequel to Death Stranding, which Kojima promptly debunks.
On the topic, Kojima said, "I've been on good terms with Phil Harrison for a long time, ever since the Metal Gear Days when he was in Europe. The rumour that Death Stranding, moreover a sequel, was in the works to be an exclusive title for Google, is unfounded, and Phil rejecting that is impossible. I've never said anything to Phil about wanting to make a sequel to Death Stranding. I don't know who pulled this kind of information from where."
﷽After Kojima confirmed the rumour to be untrue, Keighley asked if Kojima ever considers tweeting about these rumours and confirming them to be untrue. Kojima responded by saying that tweeting about the news to debunk it is just an "endless game of Cat and Mouse", and that people will manipulate his words if he tries.
Although the rumour of a sequel to Death Stranding on Google Stadia is certainly untrue, that doesn't necessarily mean that a sequel isn't happening at all. Norman Reedus, the actor behind Death Stranding protagonist Sam Porter Bridges, has previously claimed that a sequel is already being worked on durꦡing an interview, just seemingly not for Stadia.