Since Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is now available on PC and PS5, creator Hideo Kojima is turning his attention toward his next projects—headlined by the mysterious Xbox horror game OD.
OD, which Kojima has described as “a game, a film, and at the same time, a new kind of media,” was first unveiled in 2023. The production brings together performers including Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and the late Udo Kier in the three key roles. Director Jordan Peele—best known for Get Out and Nope—is also attached. Kojima has said before that OD will feel unlike anything else players have experienced, and he suggested it may not land the way it’s meant to. He has even admitted that many people may end up disliking OD, though he’s willing to accept that outcome, at least for the near future.
In fact, during Kojima’s early pitch of OD to publishers, multiple people reportedly turned it down, describing the idea as “insane.”
“I wanted to create something new and different. I wanted to go in a different direction,” Kojima told Entertainment Weekly in a wide-ranging Xbox interview. “I went to a lot of people, from big companies to smaller ones. Everyone gave me the same answer. They said I was crazy and they couldn’t really understand the idea—that they wouldn’t be able to do it.”
In the end, it was Phil Spencer, the former head of Xbox, who saw the potential in Kojima’s OD vision—one reason the game will be an Xbox release. EW also reports that Asha Sharma, the newly named Xbox leader, understands Kojima’s direction and approach as well.
So, what exactly is Kojima imagining for OD? At its core, the concept is meant to push players into an overwhelming wave of fear. “I wanted to go beyond what other games have done in terms of ‘scary,’” Kojima said. “It’s a single-player experience, and I wanted to make it as frightening as possible.”
If it ends up being too intense for some players, Kojima has prepared a way for them to keep going even when it feels overwhelming. “I can’t say much more, because it would give away too much about the system,” he noted. I can’t help but wonder what form that might take—maybe some kind of auto-play option?
We’ve also received a fresh look at OD, highlighting what may be the most unsettling detail of all: a television placed in a room with no chairs available for prospective viewers to sit and watch. The horror! There’s also a looming presence in one of the doorways—clearly an unsettling sight.
Beyond OD, Kojima is also working on a PlayStation-published espionage title called Physint. For this Metal Gear-inspired project, he has already brought in several actors, including Don Lee (Train to Busan), Charlee Fraser (Furiosa), and Minami Hamabe (Godzilla Minus One).