One of Xbox Game Studios’ most mysterious upcoming games has picked up a new teaser trailer. And I still have no idea what it is.
Microsoft and Hideo Kojima revealed “OD” at the Xbox Developer Direct show in 2022, after some viral marketing sparked rumors of a revival of Kojima’s legendary P.T. project.
Previously, Hideo Kojima was working on a reboot of Konami’s famed Silent Hill franchise, and released a “playable teaser” shortened to “P.T.” onto PlayStation store fronts. It culminated with a reveal of Norman Reedus as the main protagonist, named Silent Hills.
P.T. was a first-person narrative horror experience in essence, and despite being short and simple, remains an absolutely legendary moment in horror gaming history. The playable teaser was absolutely horrifying, and its cancellation left many lamenting what could have been if Konami and Kojima hadn’t had their high-profile falling out. Perhaps “OD” will be the next best thing.
Written by Hideo Kojima and horror legend Jordan Peele, OD sports a star-studded cast powered by Unreal Engine’s Meta Human facial scanning tech. And today, out of nowhere, Kojima Productions and Xbox have given us a new glimpse at the project.
Hideo Kojima is the legendary auteur behind Metal Gear Solid, which remains one of the video game industry’s most influential franchises. Many of Metal Gear’s oddly prophetic narrative themes have given the franchise a timelessness few other titles can boast. Hideo Kojima worked with Konami on Metal Gear for decades until Konami unceremoniously fired Kojima — as Konami pushed for cheaper, faster game releases.
Kojima set up Kojima Productions in its wake, and released the acclaimed Death Stranding. Death Stranding eventually launched on Xbox as well, and Death Stranding 2 has enjoyed a strong reception on PlayStation 5 so far — ahead of an inevitable PC release and quite possible Xbox release in the future. Microsoft has also jumped at the chance to work with Kojima Productions, which has coalesced into horror project “OD,” although details remain elusive.
“We are working with Xbox Game Studios and their cloud gaming technology to take on the challenge of creating a very unique, immersive, and totally new style of game — or rather, a new form of media,” Kojima said in a previous statement. What exactly that will look like in practice wholly remains to be seen. The game is largely shrouded in mystery, leading to concerns that the game had been cancelled after Xbox’s cuts earlier this summer. We confirmed that OD was in fact, not cancelled by Xbox, and today’s trailer further confirms that.
The latest trailer showcases Sophia Lillis of IT and Dungeons & Dragons fame, performing some kind of ritual in a largely empty room. She lights a variety of candles, seemingly controller by the player.
There are knocks from elsewhere in the house, and a baby begins to cry when the match flames burn down. One candle seems to ooze blood instead of wax, as another begins spewing worms. Then, a strange entity enters the room and grabs Sophia Lillis’ character by her face.
What’s utterly remarkable here is Unreal Engine’s “Meta Human” technology, which produces some of the most realistic and detailed digital human acting the industry has ever seen. According to Kojima, OD is an “avant-garde” title about fear, and potentially “overdosing” on fear, giving the game its namesake. How this translates into gameplay remains to be seen, but it will be using Xbox’s cloud array in some form.
Unreal Engine’s “Meta Human” technology is likely crucial here, as it picks up on facial subtleties older methods simply don’t. Sophia Lillis’ acting skills are completely unhindered thanks to the tech, which give full view of her visibly shaking, complete with trembling lips and subtle eye movements. It would have to be hand-animated in other scenarios. OD almost feels like it’s crossing the Rubicon in some ways here, where digital acting often comes with this uncanny feeling. OD’s new “Knock” trailer takes us one step further.
There’s no known launch date for OD. The game was previously revealed for the Xbox ecosystem across Windows and Xbox Series X|S, but Microsoft’s push for multiplatform dollars could see it hit PlayStation sooner than expected. Xbox’s Tokyo Game Show festivities are set to kick off this week, so perhaps we’ll see even more of OD in the coming days.
