Hideo Kojima Turns Next Week’s Death Stranding Anniversary Into a Strand Gathering to Celebrate Every Sam-one

Hideo Kojima is doing what Hideo Kojima does: teasing a big thing with a cryptic pun and just enough detail to make everyone speculate. Next week, Kojima Productions is hosting a 10th anniversary fan event called 'Beyond The Strand' aimed at, as he puts it, the 'Sam-ones' out there.

So, what is Beyond The Strand?

Kojima Productions (the post-Konami version) turns 10 this year. After Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Kojima announced the new studio on December 16, 2015. Four years later, in 2019, it shipped its first game, Death Stranding. Now the studio is celebrating a decade with a fan gathering that, unsurprisingly, leans into Death Stranding language about 'connections' and 'Strands'.

"It will be a fan event to celebrate Kojima Productions 10th anniversary and the connections we have built together with all the Sam-ones and everyone involved. It will be a Strand gathering where we will look back on the past 10 years and think about the next 10 years."

Quick translation on 'Sam-ones': he is almost certainly nodding to Death Stranding players (Sam Porter Bridges, the whole delivering-hope-across-a-broken-world thing). Also, yes, this is very Kojima. He posted the announcement on X on September 19, 2025.

The rundown

• 'Beyond The Strand' is a ticketed fan event celebrating Kojima Productions 10th anniversary.
• Kojima says it is about looking back at the last decade and thinking ahead to the next one.
• The studio says to expect special guest appearances.
• They also tease a glimpse at future projects.
• Given that tease, updates on upcoming titles like 'OD' and 'Physint' are on the table, though not guaranteed.
• The 'Sam-ones' phrasing is a wink to Death Stranding fans, fitting the whole 'Strand' and 'connections' theme.

Should you expect trailers?

Maybe. Because this is a ticketed fan gathering, I would not bank on a full new trailer for 'OD' or 'Physint'... but stranger things have happened with Kojima. Earlier this year he skipped a PlayStation State of Play, then turned around and premiered a Death Stranding 2 trailer during a South by Southwest panel. The industry clearly lets him drop things where and when he feels like it.

One more very Kojima aside

In case you needed a reminder that his brain runs on its own frequency: Kojima once said he makes games because, after deciding job-hunting was "a place where lies meet lies," an HR person told him to be creative. He also described himself as "a Showa era detective trying to solve a murder case." Which, honestly, explains a lot about how these announcements always feel like genre mash-ups of PR, poetry, and mystery novel.

Either way, Beyond The Strand lands next week. If history is any guide, expect something unexpected.