The lines between consoles are more blurred than ever, but they’re still there, particularly when it comes to the line betweenNintendoand pretty much everything else. That’s why it’s incredibly surprising to discover that Nintendo gets a shoutout in the credits ofDeath Stranding 2.
Death Stranding 2 won’t be released until tomorrow, but some people have been lucky enough to have already been in possession of a copy of the sequel long enough to have played through the game. That means there are people out there who have seen Death Stranding 2’s credits, and, as spotted byVGC, Nintendo Pictures is in there.
Nintendo Pictures Gets A Mention In The Credits Of Death Stranding 2
The Nintendo Studio Helped With The Sequel’s Motion Capture
The section of the credits dedicated to Nintendo Pictures lists various motion capture specialists who helped with the development of Death Stranding 2, so no mystery as to how exactly Nintendo helped out with the game. What’s more interesting is figuring out how and why this unexpected partnership came about, particularly with Hideo Kojima’s new game being aPS5exclusive.
The origin of Nintendo Pictures might help explain how a Nintendo-owned studio had a hand in developing Death Stranding 2. The studio was previously called Dynamo Pictures before it was renamed following Nintendo’s acquisition in 2022. Since then, Nintendo Pictures has worked on some of Nintendo’s biggest games, includingSuper Mario Bros. Wonder,Pikmin 4, andThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
It has focused solely on Nintendo properties on the game front since 2022, until now. Nintendo Pictures worked on non-Nintendo games before the acquisition, one of which was the originalDeath Stranding. It’s possible that the studio’s work on the original game was so good that Kojima talked Nintendo into helping out again. If there’s anyone in the industry I’m convinced could make that happen, it’s Kojima.
The more likely explanation is that some sort of deal was in place before the Nintendo acquisition. Kojima has already noted thatDeath Stranding 2 was supposed to be here two years ago, but issues brought about by the pandemic changed things. That means deals for the sequel have likely been in place for the better part of the last five years, including the one with Nintendo Pictures.
Despite a mention in the credits, I wouldn’t expect Death Stranding 2 to show up on theNintendo Switch 2anytime soon. The first Death Stranding, perhaps, but if there are plans for that to happen down the line, they haven’t been revealed or even hinted at yet.
