Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is right around the corner, and new information has surfaced about removed content. As a porter surviving in a broken world delivering packages from one isolated city to another, Sam has a lot of time on his hands dodging BTs and caring for Lou, but not enough to give himself a trim. This would have been a feature in the sequel that was ultimately abandoned.
Hideo Kojima Removed a Hair Growth System From Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
The gaming community was all on board when Kojima announced Norman Reedus to star in this ambitious project. Reedus is no stranger to intense projects like The Walking Dead and From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, but being the lead of a video game was uncharted territory for him. All of these projects, including Death Stranding 2, have something in common: his hairstyle. Kojima planned to include customization features, but ultimately went against it out of respect for Reedus.
Hideo Kojima says they actually made a hair growth system for Death Stranding 2 but scrapped it in the end because they are using a superstar in Norman Reedus! via @kojipr
— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) May 27, 2025
He said the system would let Sam’s hair and beard grow long over time and the player could choose to cut it… pic.twitter.com/pmG9ZFTOb9
Director Hideo Kojima befriended Reedus and realized his influence and iconic looks were valuable assets. Providing the player base with access to alter their hair length and beard might encourage them to do silly things with Reedus’ likeness and potentially mistreat the feature. Kojima intended Sam’s hair and beard to grow over time, and players trim whenever they please, which could have been an excellent addition for originality and creativity.
Kojima knew Reedus’ starpower is enough to convince the general gaming community to give Death Stranding 2: On the Beach a shot, and wouldn’t want to risk ruining Reedus’ image with wacky and weird designs. Perhaps players could still alter their hair with unique hairstyles as seen in different promotional materials.
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Rouvin Josef Quirimit is a Content Writer, an avid gamer (on his PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch), and film enthusiast. He was fortunate to grow up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was enamored by the storytelling of a shared universe full of heart and spectacle. His love for movies led him to great single-player games and he intends to cover major franchises for years to come!
