Death Stranding 2 skipped PlayStation State of Play, but Kojima's SXSW panel will bring new details

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach may not have featured in last night's PlayStation State of Play, but news on the game is expected soon.

On 9th March, director Hideo Kojima will speak at a special panel event on the game at South by Southwest (SXSW), sharing new details. Could we finally get a release date?

The YouTube stream for the event is already published, with the description stating the game will arrive "exclusively on PlayStation 5 later this year". That mirrors Sony's latest financial report, which also confirms a 2025 release.

SXSW "celebrates the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture", so is a fitting setting for Kojima's next game.

Indeed, Kojima's brand and that of his games is enough to star in a standalone panel event, away from Sony's own State of Play.

Footage of the game was first shared at a Sony event, though, back in January last year. This was followed by a Death Stranding 2 panel at the Tokyo Game Show in September.

Since then, further details are eagerly anticipated - especially the release date.

Kojima has certainly been very active recently on social media, sharing posts suggesting he's busy working on a trailer for... something.

He also admitted Kojima Productions has entered "crunch time", as Death Stranding 2 nears completion.

"At this age, I can't help but think about how much longer I'll be able to stay 'creative'", he wrote. "I want to keep going for the rest of my life, but is it 10 more years? 20? Every day feels like I'm racing against the clock."

After Death Stranding 2, Kojima has the Microsoft-backed OD, as well as Metal Gear Solid spiritual successor Physint.