Inside Hideo Kojima’s OD: an experimental, genre-bending horror

Hideo Kojima admitted that his new project, OD, is so unconventional that even he isn’t sure yet whether it will work. In a recent interview with the Japanese outlet ananweb, he suggested OD was conceived as an experiment: on the surface it might resemble a horror game, but at its core it seeks to move beyond genre conventions.

OD first surfaced at the Xbox Showcase in 2022 as an unnamed project and was immediately tied to a Kojima Productions–Xbox partnership centered on cloud technology. For a long stretch, almost nothing was said about it, and clearer contours appeared only at The Game Awards 2023, when the game was officially revealed. Later came the OD-Knock trailer, which set a tense, psychological mood that many felt echoed the canceled P.T., yet still held back on explaining how OD would play.

Now Kojima has stoked the intrigue without offering direct answers. He stressed that he still cannot clearly define what OD is and candidly added that he does not know whether the idea can be carried through to a working result. In his view, even if the trailer suggests a straight horror game, the project will be unprecedented and distinct from what the genre typically delivers.

He also drew a line between OD and his earlier hits. Metal Gear and Death Stranding, however inventive, still leaned on recognizable gameplay systems, whereas OD, by his description, tries to rethink the very form. And for those who enjoy decoding, he pointed out that the Knock trailer is packed with clues about how the game will function—careful attention to the details could bring you closer to the answer.

If OD does turn out to be that singular experience, it could mark Kojima’s next attempt to rewrite the rules—this time in horror. He acknowledges the high stakes and the risk involved; perhaps that’s precisely what makes OD one of the most enigmatic and potentially headline-grabbing projects on the near horizon.

18+ age rating.