Netflix's Arcane Just Got Its Biggest Competition For 2027

Published Nov 1, 2026, 5:01 PM EST Umair is a contributor for the ScreenRant anime section. He has always been enthusiastic about pop culture. Whether it's anime, movies, TV shows, manga, manhwa, video games, or pop music, he is always tuned in. From the classic Dragon Ball to the underrated Dororo, he has a broad knowledge of the most. When he's not writing, you may find him editing on his favorite anime, movie, or pop star on his Instagram. For years, video game adaptations struggled to earn the same respect as their source material, until Netflix changed the conversation with back-to-back animated hits like League of Legends' Arcane and Studio Trigger's Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Both series proved that animation could do far more than recreate familiar game characters and locations. They expanded their original worlds, gave their characters room to grow, and told stories that even people unfamiliar with the games could enjoy. Now, Arcane could finally have some serious competition in 2027, and it's coming from one of gaming's most recognisable creators. Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding is getting a hand-drawn 2D anime adaptation titled Death Stranding Isolations. For anyone familiar with the game, that alone raises some interesting questions. Its post-apocalyptic world of isolated settlements, mysterious Beached Things, and delivery workers carrying humanity's future is hardly conventional anime material. First revealed at Disney's APAC Content Showcase in Hong Kong, the project received an official showcase at Kojima Productions' 10th-anniversary Beyond The Strand exhibition on October 30, 2026. Its first teaser and the wonderfully bizarre poster tagline, "My mom became a crater," have already given fans plenty to talk about. Kojima's 2027 Death Stranding Anime Completely Leaves Sam Porter Bridges Behind One thing that made Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Arcane work so well was that neither tried to retell the games' original stories. Edgerunners left V behind to follow David Martinez through Night City, while Arcane built its own emotional story around Vi and Jinx in Piltover and Zaun. Death Stranding Isolations is taking a similar approach, telling a completely standalone story separate from Sam Porter Bridges' journey in the 2019 original and 2025's Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Set in North America after Sam reconnects the fractured continent through the Chiral Network, the anime looks at what happens after humanity begins rebuilding. Its central character is a young blonde girl (character name not revealed yet) who suffers from nightmares of black tar and withdraws from the rest of the world after her mother dies in a Voidout. That tragedy also explains the rather unsettling poster tagline, "My mom became a crater." Anyone familiar with Kojima's games knows that a Voidout isn't an ordinary explosion. Between Timefall, which rapidly ages anything it touches, and the invisible BTs (Beached Things), even one person being dragged into the tar can trigger a massive matter-antimatter explosion capable of wiping out an entire city. The girl would rather stay away from everyone, but her story eventually brings her into contact with three other survivors: an angry young boy who holds a deep grudge against the Bridges organization, a battle-hardened female warrior caught in an endless cycle of war, and an old man searching for salvation beyond the Chiral Network. Each brings a different perspective to a world that is already struggling to survive. A Powerhouse Animation Team Could Easily Make This Death Stranding Anime Rival Arcane Kojima has also brought together an impressive anime team to handle the adaptation. Alongside director Takayuki Sano (Attack on Titan: The Final Season) and E&H Production (Ninja Kamui), veteran sci-fi writer Tow Ubukata (Psycho-Pass 2, Ghost in the Shell: Arise) is handling the scripts and series composition. Character designs come from acclaimed illustrator Ilya Kuvshinov, known for Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. With this much talent behind it, the series has a strong team to bring one of gaming's most unusual sci-fi worlds to animation. More importantly, bringing Death Stranding Isolations exclusively to Disney+ and Hulu in 2027 gives Disney a real opportunity to challenge Netflix's success with video game adaptations. Arcane has set a pretty high bar, but Kojima's world has plenty of room to offer something completely different. There's also more Death Stranding on the way beyond the anime. The series is part of a much bigger multimedia expansion for Kojima Productions, which also includes the upcoming anime film Death Stranding Mosquito and A24's live-action movie. Details about Isolations are still limited, but with its first teaser already out, it shouldn't be long before Kojima gives fans a closer look at what's coming next. Video Game(s) Death Stranding, Death Stranding Director's Cut, Death Stranding 2 Cast Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Lea Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Troy Baker, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Guillermo del Toro, Nicolas Winding Refn, Lindsay Wagner Created by Hideo Kojima Upcoming Films Death Stranding Character(s) Sam Porter Bridges, Clifford Unger, Fragile, Malingen, Deadman, Heartman, Higgs Monaghan, Amelie (Death Stranding), Die-Hardman Death Stranding is an action game developed by Kojima Productions, marking Hideo Kojima's first project after departing from Konami. Released in 2019, the game is set in a post-apocalyptic United States, where players control Sam Porter Bridges, portrayed by Norman Reedus, on a mission to reconnect isolated communities. The game is noted for its unique "strand" gameplay mechanics, blending social elements with traditional action gameplay.