Nintendo Pictures Credited in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
PlayStation 5 owners who have already completed Death Stranding 2: On the Beach report a surprising inclusion within the Sony-published game’s credits: Nintendo.
Specifically, the company listed within the credits is Nintendo Pictures, the Mario maker’s motion capture studio it bought and rebranded in 2022.
A Surprising Cross-Company Collaboration
This is the first time that Nintendo Pictures has been credited as having contributed to a non-Nintendo game since it was acquired, though a plausible reason exists for this collaboration.
The Probable Explanation
Death Stranding 2 development was underway in 2022, around the time Nintendo snapped up the company, previously known as Dynamo Pictures. Indeed, the game’s reveal trailer, shown at The Game Awards 2022, features a first look at scenes with Norman Reedus and Lea Seydoux that look to have been shot using motion capture.
It seems probable, then, that Nintendo Pictures (or rather, Dynamo Pictures) was simply signed onto the project before Nintendo’s purchase and continued work on it per its contract. The company previously worked on the original Death Stranding, so it seems likely its services were retained relatively early.
Scope of Nintendo Pictures’ Contribution
Nintendo Pictures staff members who worked on Death Stranding 2 include:
- A motion capture director
- Numerous motion capture editors
- Motion capture coordinators
- A motion capture advisor
Future of Nintendo Pictures’ External Work
Since the acquisition, Nintendo Pictures has otherwise focused entirely on projects from its namesake, including Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Pikmin 4, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Whether the company will work on any other non-Nintendo projects now remains to be seen.
