Pokemon Go Maker Niantic Teams Up With Hideo Kojima on Secret AR Project That Brings Death Stranding to the Real World

Hideo Kojima did the thing he does best overnight: dropped a bunch of intriguing, half-explained ideas and made everyone speculate. Yes, we got a new, very creepy trailer for his horror game OD. But the curveball was a surprise team-up with Niantic that sure looks like Death Stranding Go in spirit.

The AR project: what they showed (and what they didn't)

During the 10th anniversary Kojima Productions event, a livestream dubbed 'Beyond the Strand,' Kojima Productions (aka the Death Stranding 2 studio) unveiled a new augmented reality collaboration with Niantic Spatial. The teaser leans hard into real-world play:

• On-screen text sets the tone: "In the near future, move beyond the screen."
• We see players out in different environments, not parked on a couch.
• One guy puts on AR glasses and scans a virtual model outside — big 'you just found something in the wild' energy, very Pokemon Go-adjacent.

So… what is this thing?

Short answer: still under wraps. Kojima said he isn't ready to spill specifics but hinted this isn't something you only play in your living room.

"I can't really speak about details yet, but if you're climbing a mountain... there's still entertainment there."

His pitch is essentially Death Stranding, but in your actual city — connecting with people and with the place itself, not just a headset.

"It's like the real Death Stranding in the real world, and you can connect with people, or you can connect with the actual environment there in your city."

"Previously, it was like virtual reality, but this time I'm thinking about connecting with the real environment."

Niantic Spatial's John Hanke — who knows a thing or two about getting people outside to play — framed it as a project designed to pull people together, not apart.

"I hope that it creates [an environment] that brings people together to play. If there's one thing we need to have in our society right now, it's something that unifies us and doesn't pull us apart."

"Storytelling has always been humanity's way of coming together, and technology can support that. It can divide it too, but with an inspiring creator, it can be an important force in the world."

That's all pretty lofty, and the actual nuts and bolts — title, how it plays, when, where — are still MIA. But the gist is clear: AR that uses your real surroundings as the canvas, with a Kojima-flavored layer of connection and vibe on top. Weird? Yes. Also very Kojima.

Meanwhile, OD keeps getting creepier

Beyond the AR tease, Kojima also rolled out a new trailer for OD, his upcoming horror project. It's still light on concrete details, heavy on unsettling tone — exactly what you'd expect from a late-night Kojima drop.

Bottom line: if you've ever wanted a reason to go outside and touch both real and virtual grass, Kojima and Niantic are plotting something that might make you lace up your shoes. We just have to wait to find out what it actually is.