Kojima's OD May Be The Scariest Game Ever

Republished By Plato

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The 2023 Game Awards featured many new game announcements alongside the awards, but none was more fascinating than one that showed almost nothing. About midway through the show, the trailer for O.D., Hideo Kojima’s unknown Xbox Game Studios offering, appeared on screen. While merely facial motion capture with an unexplained scare at the end, the “for all players and screamers” tag sent a message: The legendary game designer decided to venture into pure horror for the first time since 2014’s PT. Not only that, but Jordan Peele and a few unmentioned collaborators are also involved in the project as well. Kojima’s OD has a chance to be one of the biggest games ever and one that goes beyond normal gaming boundaries.

Who is Hideo Kojima?

Here is a quick history lesson for those who do not know who Hideo Kojima is. Kojima began his career at Konami. While there, he was the creative force behind the legendary Metal Gear series. He also developed a reputation for his ability to predict the future through video games. When he left Konami, he founded his own independent studio. Since then, Kojima’s 2019 masterpiece Death Stranding won multiple awards and will now become a feature film with A24.

What is OD?

OD Kojima Productrions — Image Courtesy of Kojima Productionss

What Kojima’s OD is exactly remains unclear, aside from being a horror game. It does not even have a release date yet. In a press release after The Game Awards announcement, Kojima Productions said the following:

“A HIDEO KOJIMA GAME, 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”

Why Should You Care About OD?

This could simply turn out to be the scariest, most stress-inducing game ever made. Kojima’s motion-capture-heavy style will bring an immense sense of realism to the game, unlike any previous horror game.

On top of the style, Jordan Peele’s inclusion serves to ratchet the tension to unmatched levels. The Oscar-winning writer/director is the standard bearer for thinkpiece thrillers and one of the most exciting filmmakers to arrive in the last decade. As Kojima said in his speech after Peele came out at The Game Awards, the two were meant to work together. Kojima grew up on movies and now makes video games, whereas Peele was the opposite. That innate connection as cinephiles will lead to references and knowledge of what’s actually scary and how to manipulate the player into “testing their fear threshold.”

Who are the Secret Collaborators Kojima named “The Avengers?”

Jordan Peele Hideo Kojima's OD — Image courtesy of The Game Awards

Fans joke that Kojima hangs out with celebrities so he can make video games. It feels like it may not be a joke, however. During his speech at The Game Awards, Kojima hinted that Peele was not the only collaborator on this project.

“It’s not just Jordan (Peele),” Kojima said through a translator, “I have other creative collaborative partners with me on this project. I can’t really say who they are right now, but I’ll tell you they are legends and are going to be amazing. I actually call them “The Avengers”.”

For people who know Kojima’s strong connection with the film community, this let everyone’s imagination run wild. One would assume he is referring to people helping with the story and design, not actors. If so, the list of potential star directors who could help out alongside Peele is immense. Kojima already collaborated with Guillermo del Toro back on 2014’s PT, so a return to working together is possible. Horror mastermind John Carpenter, the creator of the Halloween movies, has previously worked on video games. James Wan, the man behind “The Conjuring” universe, worked on the Dead Space games. Even Ari Aster, the man behind “Midsommar” and “Hereditary,” visited Kojima in the last week. However, that could all be tied into A24’s Death Stranding movie plans given Aster’s history of working with A24.

Conclusion

At this point, what Kojima’s OD will actually be is almost better than seeing an actual trailer. Knowing Peele’s involvement in the project makes the potential seem even greater. Yet, when the trailer finally arrives, the speculation will end. Even though I do not play horror games, that may change. The talent involved in this project may very well be enough to give me nightmares alongside the rest of the public.