Death Stranding TV Series in Development

This week brought an interesting piece of entertainment news with relevance to the gaming industry. Disney+ has partnered with legendary creator Hideo Kojima to develop an animated series based on the Death Stranding games. As of now, the series is titled Death Stranding Isolations and is set to premiere in 2027 exclusively on Disney+.

This is an interesting collaboration to be sure, given the overall strangeness of the Death Stranding universe and general brand philosophy of Disney. While the studio has certainly branched out into more mature content recently, it still isn’t something I typically associate with it. Furthermore, while Death Stranding is certainly a successful game, it has a much narrower appeal than Kojima’s other projects, such as Metal Gear Solid. Disney typically likes to capitalize on IPs that have large dedicated fanbases, with Star Wars and Marvel being prime examples.

Nevertheless, it seems that this project has substantial backing and passion from all sides. During the initial announcement panel, concept art was revealed from Ilya Kuvshinov, a lead artist from Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, which aired on Netflix. Death Stranding Isolations will feature an original story that follows multiple characters, all of different ages and backgrounds, whose stories converge in unlikely ways. The official summary pitch is as follows: “Somewhere in North America, just as Sam Bridges walks through the continent in order to save America, the someones are also trying to deal with their isolation in their own way. An old man trying to realize salvation through ways outside of the connection advocated by Bridges. A female warrior who tries to kickstart a world of constant fighting. A boy with a grudge against Bridges. A girl who embraces loneliness. On the precipice of the end of humanity and the world, their fates and hopes converge, as another story of Death Stranding begins.”

Production for this series is being taken on by Japanese Anime studio E&H and will feature hand drawn animation. Takayuki Sano will be directed the series with Kojima acting as executive producer. If you are interested in Kojima’s first partnership with a streaming service, you can follow the official Disney+ social media accounts which promise more details will be coming soon regarding the project.