OD has been one of the most anticipated video games since the moment it was revealed at the 2023 Game Awards by auteur / mad genius Hideo Kojima. It’s also one of the most mysterious.
“I really like challenging new things, groundbreaking things, that’s my kind of rule,” Kojima said during the ceremony via a translator. “But this one, with the help of Xbox Game Studios and their cloud gaming technology, I am kinda doing this… it’s really to make immersive… something no one has done before. It is a game, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a movie. A new form of media.”
What does any of that mean? Let’s try to find out!
Here’s everything we know about OD, including plot details, Jordan Peele and Hunter Schafer‘s involvement, and whether there’s a release date.
Plot
Hideo Kojima wrote OD with Jordan Peele, who has become one of the biggest names in horror thanks to Get Out, Us, and Nope. The word “horror” is never used in the official Kojima Productions description of the game, but it’s implied with the description: “OD explores the concept of testing your fear threshold, and what it means to OD on fear – while blurring the boundaries of gaming and film.” The game will be “risky” and “a new challenge for me within the realm of games,” Kojima told Variety, adding, “This is a game, but it’s a game like no other. I can’t go into too much detail, and it’s also hard to explain.”
Kojima met Peele when he invited him on his podcast (I bet he loves the Gremlins 2 sketch). “He’s younger than me, so we’re not the same generation, but after just five minutes of chatting, he felt like a childhood friend,” he said. “We decided to meet in Los Angeles. After several meetings in L.A., we were talking about the projects each of us were working on. I explained the concept of OD to him, and he was really interested in it, so I asked him to join me.”
But Peele isn’t the only big name involved. Teasing other members of the OD creative team, Kojima said, “We’re actually calling them ‘The Avengers’ but we have other members like him. If I announced the names, you’d be surprised.”
Considering Kojima’s last game involved turning Norman Reedus’ pee into grenades, nothing surprises me anymore.
Cast
The confirmed cast is Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier, all pictured here, but considering Hideo Kojima’s ever-growing roster of celebrity friends, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him add a few more famous folks. Death Stranding starred Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Troy Baker, Guillermo del Toro, and Nicolas Winding Refn. Will OD have Patrick Strump from Fall Out Boy, the cool pistol shooter from the Olympics, and Art the Clown from Terrifier? Only Kojima knows for sure!
Release Date
OD doesn’t have a release date yet, so it’s going to be awhile (Kojima is currently hard at work on the Death Stranding sequel). One estimate has it out in 2027 or 2028. It’s being developed as an Xbox exclusive, but who knows what the video game landscape will look like by then.
Trailer
Check out the reveal trailer for OD below.