OD explained: Everything you need to know about Hideo Kojima's new 'game'

Metal Gear Solid mastermind and Death Stranding director Hideo Kojima has stunned gamers with the first reveal of his new game, OD, arriving at last night's The Games Awards show.

Stunned is perhaps the wrong word to describe OD, though. Puzzled, or bamboozled, is perhaps better - gamers aren't sure what it's about at all - especially so when they were expecting a sequel to Death Stranding to be released.

But no, we've got OD - in collaboration with horror film icon Jordan Peele & Xbox Studios - perhaps something that might be better than what we were all expecting to be unveiled at The Games Awards.

What is OD, Hideo Kojima's new game?

It's a game - but wait, there's more!

Kojima made it very clear that OD is slightly different to the norm and could confound expectations.

"It is a game, don't get me wrong, but it's at the same time a movie, but at the same time a new form of media," said Kojima at The Games Awards.

For anyone who has played any game in the Metal Gear Solid series (essentially a film due to its lengthy intermissions and cutscenes), that might not sound like too much of a departure - but Kojima never advertised those games as 'movies'. This is something new.

What did OD's trailer show?

The details we have on OD are from the incredibly vague trailer, but it is clear that Kojima's new game is a horror game, or at least heavily horror-coded.

The teaser starts with a geiger counter ticking off, and what sounds like a door being bashed down.

Three digitally-rendered actors (announced in order: Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier) then recite the same weird poem as a pattern lights up their eyes, with each taking their turn and putting their own spin on it. It gets creepier and creepier, until we're left with Sophia Lillis staring at the force that was beating the door down, and letting out a scream.

We're left with a message stating that OD is 'for all players and screamers''.

What has Jordan Peele said about OD?

The horror movie guru is working on OD with Hideo Kojima, and was very excited to bring his visions to new territory: Gaming.

"He's been an inspiration to me, and the opportunity to collaborate with him is truly incredible," said Peele at The Games Awards. "In my films, I’m always trying to maximize the immersion, put the audience into the main character’s shoes. Hideo is the master of this and he does it on a whole other level. What he’s cooking up here is completely immersive, utterly terrifying, and I am absolutely honored to be collaborating with the GOAT. Let’s go."

Peele isn't the only collaborator on OD though, Kojima has more up his sleeve and has said they are all 'legends'.

Have there been any leaks of OD's gameplay?

There were a few leaks last year, but Kojima Productions was hasty in getting clips removed from the internet.

Rumoured to be named 'Hideo Kojima's Overdose' at the time, snippets of gameplay, and in-game images were leaked online as reported by PPE.PL.

The report states that the leaked third-person gameplay showed a character navigate a dark environment using a flashlight. It also featured actress Margaret Qualley (who also starred in Death Stranding). The video closes with a jump scare followed by a game over screen.

Does OD have anything to do with Metal Gear Solid, PT, or Death Stranding?

No - as far as anyone knows, this is a new and original game made by Kojima - who is unwilling to revisit the Metal Gear Solid series (which is being remade in part by Konami, with Metal Gear Solid 3 being re-released in a new package next year as Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater without any involvement for Kojima.)

PT remains dead as a project and was succeeded by Death Stranding, and a sequel will be announced at some point. Some horror elements from PT may be transferred to OD, but that may only be my easy assumption. We'll have to wait and see.

When is OD's release date?

OD has no announced release date, and there's no indication of when the game is due to be released.

However, if it mirrors Death Stranding's path from reveal to release, OD could up to three years away.

Death Stranding was revealed to the world in 2016, but didn't release fully until late-2019. Even with an early reveal, development on the game didn't start until 2017.

We could be waiting a while.

What consoles will OD release on?

OD is being aided in the development stage by Xbox Studios, so it's incredibly clear what group consoles it will land on - Xbox Series X|S (if it's produced before they release a successor console). There may be a PC launch down the line, but do not expect this to appear on PlayStation 5 (or 6).

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