Hideo Kojima photo supposedly hints at Death Stranding 2 at the next State of Play

A seemingly innocent photo posted on the X (formerly Twitter) account of Hideo Kojima's assistant has caused a buzz among the gaming world, as the sharpest eyes in the community have spotted a very telling detail in the image.

The photo, which shows Kojima sitting at his desk, potentially hints at the highly anticipated Death Stranding 2 taking centre stage at the next State of Play.

The dust has barely settled on the most recent showcase of PlayStation's upcoming projects on September 14, but it wouldn't be a complete shock to see another one in the coming months. Sony has a history of dropping multiple shows over the course of a year, and with the hugely-anticipated Spider-Man 2 coming out next month, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect Sony to push on with its next big release in another State of Play.

Hideo Kojima photo potentially gives away next State of Play headliner

The rumours began swirling today (September 27), due to a tweet posted by Hideo Kojima's assistant, Ayako Terashima, on X. The image shows Kojima sat at a desk, seemingly working innocuously.

You need a keen eye for detail to spot what is causing all of the fuss; some of us still can't make out the minor details being rumoured! Nonetheless, a number of fans on Reddit believe that the words 'State of Play' appear as the title of the file Kojima is working on. What's more, there are multiple reports of fans spotting a hint at the next possible headliner 'DS2', or Death Stranding 2.

The original game was incredibly successful, and we already know a sequel is in the works after it was announced at the 2022 Game Awards. While a release date has not yet been confirmed, many are speculating that this could very well be the centrepiece of the next string of State of Play announcements once Spidey has finished swinging into consoles.

At this stage, we can only speculate as to the date and content of the next State of Play. But if this is anything to go by, don't be surprised if we haven't seen the last PlayStation showcase for 2023.