Hololive’s Usada Pekora confirmed as NPC in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Kojima Productions has confirmed that popular Hololive VTuber Usada Pekora will make an appearance as a non-playable character (NPC) in the upcoming title, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Her role will be one of the Preppers, individuals whom protagonist Sam Porter Bridges can visit and provide assistance to throughout the game.
This reveal comes amidst a range of Death Stranding 2 related announcements, which have included the reveal of a limited edition DualSense controller based on the game, and a model kit of the game’s “Ghost Mech Coffins”, which will be released by Kotobukiya.
To accompany the announcement of Pekora’s appearance, the developer released a short teaser video on social media, providing a glimpse of her in-game representation.
Hideo Kojima also shared new artwork of Pekora on his Threads account, which shows her in an outfit similar to that of Sam Porter Bridges:
The brief Death Stranding 2 clip featuring Usada Pekora verifies that her established Hololive VTuber character model, complete with her original default costume, will be rendered as an in-game hologram.
Within the teaser, Sam is depicted approaching a bunker for a delivery. As he departs, Pekora’s distinct voice can be heard addressing him.
It is of note that the entirety of this interaction is presented with the game’s Japanese voice acting.
Consequently, it remains unconfirmed whether her dialogue will be provided in English or retain its Japanese form in the English localization of the game.
The full teaser provides this initial look at their interaction:
A subsequent social media post from the developer further substantiated her designation as a Prepper NPC that players will encounter and aid, without elaborating on any additional functionalities or specific elements linked to her presence.
Though it may come as a surprise to some, Usada Pekora’s inclusion is not entirely unforeseen, given the prior interactions and public acknowledgments between game director Hideo Kojima and the Hololive VTuber.
Previously, in August 2023, Kojima shared screen captures from one of her streams on social media in what can now be seen as the earliest indication that he had plans to incorporate her into one of his projects:
There is a recurring pattern for anyone referenced or engaged with by Kojima online to subsequently make guest appearances in his projects, with this becoming the latest example.
This isn’t the only game related collab that Pekora has been involved in recently, as she is included in a new line of plushies currently available for pre-order based on the Monster Hunter series.
With the announcement of her appearance in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, fans of the popular VTuber will have even more to look forward to as the game approaches its June 26th launch date.
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