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Conan O’Brien ascends from Clueless Gamer to cameo in Death Stranding video game

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Conan O’Brien is no stranger to video games, having hosted his Clueless Gamer series for years as part of his talk show. Now, things are getting kicked up a notch, as O’Brien has been made into a character that makes a cameo in Hideo Kojima’s long-in-development Death Stranding.

The revelation came in a new video highlight on Conan, O’Brien’s TBS show, where O’Brien was given the chance to meet with Kojima. After accessing the building via a Costco card and viewing Kojima’s toy collection, Conan blurred out the entirety of the office, including Kojima himself, with the sole exception of a coat rack.

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Conan was appropriately weirded out by one trailer’s depiction of a baby living inside someone’s stomach, but that didn’t stop his enthusiasm when Kojima asked if he wanted to be made a character in Death Stranding. The results are a little bit terrifying, as the Decima engine used by Kojima Productions is incredibly realistic, but Conan brings his signature humor to his role as a “Prepper.” He will also give you a “Sea Otter Suit” in the game, according to Kojima.

Conan O'Brien appears as a prepper “The Wondering MC” in DS. You get “Sea Otter Suit” when you get connected with him. With this suit, you’ll be able to swim easily in the river, you won’t be drifted away! BB would be happy as well. 👍🌈🦀☔️🐟🐋🐬💀👶✋🤩😍 pic.twitter.com/nIsw5JS5t0

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) October 24, 2019

O’Brien is far from the only celebrity to make an appearance in Death Stranding. He’s joined by fellow Prepper Geoff Keighley of The Game Awards, as well as directors Guillermo del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn. Also appearing in the game’s main cast are film actors Mads Mikkelsen, Norman Reedus, Margaret Qualley, and Lea Seydoux.

Conan was clearly confused by what he’s seen in Death Stranding so far, and he can join the club. Each trailer and gameplay demonstration for the game has only made us question what Kojima is actually doing even more, though the most recent footage has begun to paint a slightly clearer picture of the moment-to-moment gameplay. We’re sure there are still dozens of unexpected surprises waiting for us, because it would not be a Hideo Kojima game otherwise.

Death Stranding is due to release exclusively for PlayStation 4 on November 8. It is the first release from the revived Kojima Productions following the developer’s much-publicized split with former employe,r Konami, which also resulted in the cancellation of Silent Hills. It is his first completed project outside the Metal Gear series in nearly a decade.

Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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