SS Rajamouli and son make surprise cameo in Hideo Kojima’s ‘Death Stranding 2: On the Beach’

Indian filmmaker SS Rajamouli and his son SS Karthikeya have made surprise appearances in the upcoming video game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, developed by renowned Japanese creator Hideo Kojima. The highly anticipated sequel is set to release worldwide on June 26, 2025, for PlayStation 5.

Fans who received early access to the game ahead of launch spotted Rajamouli and Karthikeya in cameo roles. Rajamouli is featured as “The Adventurer,” while Karthikeya appears as “The Adventurer’s Son.”

The collaboration between Rajamouli and Kojima has been developing for some time. Their first meeting occurred during Rajamouli’s visit to Japan in 2022 to promote RRR. The filmmaker toured Kojima Productions and experienced its advanced 360-degree production setup.

Since then, the two creatives have stayed in touch, with Kojima sharing a virtual meeting photo with Rajamouli and Karthikeya in April this year. “Beyond excited for this,” Karthikeya wrote while resharing the image on social media.

Hideo Kojima, celebrated for his genre-defining work on titles like Metal Gear, Snatcher, and Zone of the Enders, is known for pushing the boundaries of narrative and visual design in gaming. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach seems to continue that tradition, serving as a sequel to the 2019 hit Death Stranding. Returning cast members include Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux, and Troy Baker, with new additions like Elle Fanning and George Miller joining the universe.

The game follows Sam Porter Bridges in a post-apocalyptic Australia, where he and his team must reconnect isolated communities through a communication network in an effort to save humanity.

In a sign of Kojima’s expanding creative reach, a live-action adaptation of Death Stranding is also in the works, directed by Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One) and produced by A24 and Kojima Productions.

Kojima is also expanding the Death Stranding universe with a planned anime adaptation, while simultaneously developing Physint for PlayStation and OD for Xbox.