The creations of visionary video game designer Hideo Kojima are not only wildly popular in the gaming world, but they also carry significant cultural weight. That’s precisely why Hamilton decided to collaborate with this master storyteller. The result is a unique watch featured in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the highly anticipated sequel to Kojima’s award-winning, genre-defying masterpiece Death Stranding, available for PlayStation 5 from June 26, 2025.
Text by Anja Van Der Borght
Why did you choose to collaborate on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach specifically, and not with another video game?
VS: “When considering potential partnerships, we always look at several factors, but brand compatibility is key. A collaboration has to make sense for both sides and feel authentic. Hideo Kojima is a legend in the gaming world, known for his cinematic and conceptual storytelling, which perfectly matches our strong heritage in film. This project allows us to build a strong bridge between our involvement in both film and gaming.”
Far Cry and Death Stranding are both games that tackle geopolitical or socially sensitive themes. Are you trying to convey a message through this?
VS: “We never get involved in the actual storyline of a game or movie. We are watchmakers, and we create timepieces that support the vision of the characters. So no, we are not trying to make a political statement by collaborating with game studios or films. For us, it’s all about working with the world of entertainment. We strongly believe our timepieces contribute to the credibility and authenticity of the story – just like in Oppenheimer, where we provided vintage watches that perfectly suited the historical period.”
Does Hamilton only collaborate with video games that are related to film? Is that a conscious decision?
VS: “Our last two gaming collaborations were indeed linked to the film world, because the characters were based on real actors. But that’s not a requirement — it just happened to be the case for these two particular projects.”
Why not collaborate with racing games, where the gamer’s wrist is constantly visible?
VS: “We are absolutely open to those kinds of collaborations. If the right opportunity comes along, you might see our watches on the wrist of a race car driver, or on other types of characters like divers, pilots, or soldiers.”
What is your view on the gaming industry growing larger than the film industry?
VS: “From a brand perspective, we view this very positively, since both industries fall under our entertainment pillar. While we’re already well established as the watchmaker for filmmakers, we also want to strengthen our role as the watchmaker for game developers. And as mentioned earlier: through the presence of our product, we contribute to the authenticity of the character and the narrative.”
What would be your top 5 video games you wish you had collaborated on?
VS: “Looking at the past few years, so many interesting games have been released that it’s hard to choose… and we prefer looking forward rather than backward.”
Why not collaborate with games like The Godfather or Mafia (The Old Country), which are set to release in 2025 and feature vintage watches?
VS: “In 2025, our focus is entirely on Death Stranding 2, and we’ve known for a few years now that this would be our main project. Until now, we haven’t really considered placing vintage watches in games, because the community is highly interested in being able to purchase the exact same watch they see in the game.”
