Eagle-eyed Metal Gear fans notice major references to the Kojima-established IP in the newly released Death Stranding 2 trailer.

A new, very long Death Stranding 2 trailer has finally given the Hideo Kojima sequel a release date and more mysteries, like what’s with the guy who looks almost exactly like Metal Gear’s Snake near the end of it?

K ojima Productions premiered a new, 10-minute long trailer for Death Stranding 2 at SXSW over the recent weekend, and while it features some familiar faces – like Norman Reedus

It seems like Death Stranding 2 will shamelessly pull from Kojima's Metal Gear Solid games, as a Solid Snake lookalike will be in the game.

Just to be clear: spoilers ahead for Death Stranding, and potential spoilers for Death Stranding 2 (if my predictions are correct). One of the many new characters appearing in Death Stranding 2 is a man named Neil,

When talking about the original Death Stranding, Kojima said, "The game was about connection," which we knew. However, Kojima wasn’t the most confident about his future, adding,

Seeing an actor's face in Death Stranding isn't a surprise anymore – but nobody was expecting to see a face echoing Kojima's old protagonist.

The box art for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach shows Sam "Porter" Bridges, portrayed by Norman Reedus, holding the child "Lou," who players of the first game will recognize. Reddit user ReverseTheFlash posted "He did it again," showing that box art alongside a Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty slipcase with a similar motif.