Death Stranding Rainbow Appears in Real Life

By Dalton Cooper 18 December 2016

• ps4
• kojima productions
• sony
• death stranding

A fan on Twitter sends Hideo Kojima a photo he took in Rosario, Argentina of a rainbow that looks similar to the one seen in the Death Stranding trailer.

Hideo Kojima likes to fill his games with symbolism and striking imagery, and Death Stranding is no exception. Both of the trailers released for the game so far are filled with interesting visuals, but one image that stands out especially is a shot from the second trailer. In it we see a war-torn city, with the only color coming from a strange, upside-down rainbow hanging in the sky above. And as it turns out, a rainbow just like the one seen in the Death Stranding trailer has now been spotted in real life.

Twitter user sabelor10 saw a rainbow that looks a lot like the one from the Death Stranding Game Awards trailer while in Rosario, Argentina. Sabelor10 claims that the phenomenon is caused by suspended ice crystals, but regardless of how it was formed, it was still neat enough for him to share it with Hideo Kojima, who then retweeted the photo to his millions of Twitter followers.

Since Kojima likes to fill his game’s with symbolism and hidden meanings, one has to imagine that there’s a deeper purpose behind the rainbow. One idea that comes to mind is that the rainbow represents hope in a world that is being ravaged by war. In the trailer, the rainbow is one of the first things players see after the introduction Guillermo del Toro’s character, so whatever its meaning, it seems like it is important to the game’s story in some capacity.

@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN Happened today in Rosario-Argentina. Suspended ice crystals in the sky made this. Truly amazing. #DeathStranding pic.twitter.com/6ha182u8n2

— Pancho (@sabelor10) December 16, 2016

Of course, that’s just speculation at this time, and the rainbow may not be seen in the full game. As it stands, Death Stranding isn’t even entering full-swing development until 2017, so a lot could change about the game between now and when it actually hits store shelves. However, if the rainbow becomes a recurring image seen in future Death Stranding trailers, then fans should expect it and the “hope” it likely symbolizes to be important in the final game.

Beyond symbolism, the rainbow in Death Stranding and its strange appearance may be a clue about the game world. One theory states that the world that Norman Reedus is in is a parallel universe to the world of Guillermo del Toro and Mads Mikkelsen, and the rainbow’s odd appearance could be further evidence for the multiple universe theory. For example, the rainbow may appear normal in Norman Reedus’ world, but is upside-down in the world of Guillermo del Toro and Mads Mikkelsen.

Until Kojima is ready to share more, though, the purpose of the Death Stranding rainbow and why it looks the way it does will remain one of the many unsolved mysteries surrounding the game. However, with development on the title expected to ramp up in 2017, fans may be able to look forward to more frequent updates about its story, characters, and what else it will entail.

Death Stranding is in development for PS4.