Famed Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski, perhaps better known as Cliffy B, has revealed that he denied an invitation from Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima to “come get scanned” for an appearance in the upcoming Death Stranding. It’s a decision that Bleszinski has come to “kinda regret,” as he shared on Twitter.
He asked me to come get scanned when I was in Japan but it was as BKP was nearly over and I was starting my “lay low” phase and opted out. Kinda regret it.
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) October 24, 2019
The statement was prompted by God of War director Cory Barlog’s reaction to the news that late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien would appear in Kojima Productions’ debut title. O’Brien joins video game industry veteran Geoff Keighley as a confirmed celebrity cameo, which prompted a tweet from Barlog where he lamented the fact he won’t be appearing in the game.
In response, Bleszinski confirmed that he “opted out” of one such cameo due to its poor timing on his end. Kojima extended the offer when Bleszinski was in Japan, but he turned it down as his studio Boss Key Productions (“BKP”) was facing closure at the time and he was entering a period he refers to as a “‘lay low’ phase.”
As with many things Death Stranding, owing to the mystique that’s surrounded the project for three years now, a few rumblings are being made by online conspiracy theorists over whether this might be misdirection. Citing the fact that Kojima has been quoted as saying Death Stranding features “many cameos,” some believe we may see the duo in-game yet. Of course, that’s pure speculation, so don’t go expecting an appearance from either industry figure.
Hideo Kojima’s first independent venture following his well-documented split from Metal Gear Solid franchise publisher Konami, Death Stranding stars The Walking Dead‘s Norman Reedus as Sam “Porter” Bridges. The game is set to launch exclusively for PS4 on Friday, November 8, 2019. Meanwhile, the game’s review embargo will lift one week prior on Friday, November 1.
