Last Updated on Aug 24, 2025 @ 23:51:11 PM.
Director Hideo Kojima has established a reputation for himself with his distinctive storytelling and creativity. Game development can take a toll; however, this never became a challenge for Kojima as he finds new ways to bring his actors into the world he made through careful direction and notes. While working on the Death Stranding sequel, this was a necessary change that was amplified by WOODKID’s music.
There is no denying that Kojima knows how to utilize the talents of his actors, but also how to use music to enhance their performances. It is a rare treat to see directors, actors, and musicians come together to create something new yet exciting.
Major story spoilers will be discussed beyond this point.
According to Hideo Kojima, Music and Timing Are Crucial in the Performance Capture Process of Death Stranding
The story of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is much darker, sadder, and emotional than the first game in every way possible. Norman Reedus returns as Sam Porter Bridges, and despite his best efforts to live a life with Lou away from the world, he suddenly becomes an important figure at work to bring together another continent.
Director Hideo Kojima stepped it up a notch by directing scenes that could tug the heartstrings. At one point, Troy Baker’s Higgs managed to trap Sam in an endless cycle of death and resurrection. This was a major turning point in the story where Sam’s friends risked their lives to rescue him. In typical Kojima fashion, the sequence benefited from WOODKID’s music.
The performance capture for this scene was done using a rough version of WOODKID’s “Rainy’s Theme (STORY OF RAINY),” which was already completed at the time. On set, we had the actors wear earphones and played the track so they could match their timing to it, making sure to hit… pic.twitter.com/Z2te4sQT0f
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) August 9, 2025
Elle Fanning’s Tomorrow sprang into action and gave Higgs and his mechs a run for their money. The scene could have ended sourly if it weren’t for Shioli Kutsuna’s Rainy saving the day by putting out the fires burning Sam. The sequence was well captured, but the director gave credit to WOODKID’s music, which the actors can hear through an earpiece.
Kojima revealed it was necessary for the actors to feel the weight of the music. Players could see the final result, and it paid off nicely. The director also revealed that the entire sequence was not pre-rendered and was happening in real-time. Regardless of whether you arrive at night or in broad daylight, the sequence will play the same.
People often think it’s a “cut scene,” so I think there’s some misunderstanding, but the cutscenes in my games (ever since MGS1) are not pre-rendered, they’re basically all in real-time. That’s why things like the player’s equipment, clothing, amount of cargo, dirt, weather, and… https://t.co/CYr6A0T1qI
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) August 9, 2025
This is a testament to Hideo Kojima’s understanding of the craft of game development and how he utilized the technology he had at his disposal. The game has been released for a month, and Kojima Productions proudly shares the progress made by the porters in a short period.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is now available exclusively on the PlayStation 5.
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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!
