OD: Everything We Know

The Game Awards 2023 had plenty of surprises in store for us. Thanks to a couple of big reveals, we now have more brand-new games to look forward to. If you’re a fan of Oscar-winning film director Jordan Peele’s work in the horror sphere or can’t get enough of visionary game creator Hideo Kojima’s action/adventure design work, you’ll be happy to know that the two are collaborating on a brand new horror game called OD (Overdose).

Some of Hideo Kojima’s works include Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding, all epic works in their own right. He’s no stranger to gaming, having expressed immense creativity in video game design that’s become nothing short of iconic. Jordan Peele, on the other hand, dabbles more in big-screen productions, having directed the popular Get Out and Nope. With such big projects on their shoulders, excitement is roaring all across the internet, so hang tight as we uncover everything we know about OD.

What is OD?

OD, or Overdose, is an upcoming brand-new horror game currently in development by Kojima Productions and Xbox Game Studios for Xbox Cloud Gaming. 

The announcement shut down the party at the Game Awards 2023 when Hideo Kojima walked up on stage, presuming to announce the release date of Death Stranding 2, which he himself had announced at the show last year. Cue the weird trailer that wraps up with ‘OD’ slapped onto the screen, after which Kojima ushers Peele on stage to announce that they’ll be working together on the project. 

It’s no secret that both Kojima and Peele like to push the limits of standard genre practice. And as Kojima stresses in his interview about OD, the game is not going to just be a horror game, but something that’s also a movie and a new form of media at the same time. Apparently, it’s going to be something unlike much else—it's going to be “crazy.” It is hard to argue with that.

Story

As of now, the only official media we can rely on is the teaser trailer revealed at the Game Awards 2023, which, in Kojima fashion, usually doesn’t reveal much. It’s confusing at best, yet also intriguing. Featuring actors like Sophia Lillis (IT & Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Asteroid City), Udo Kier (Flesh for Frankenstein, Suspiria), and Hunter Schafer (Euphoria, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), the trailer shows them reading a tongue twister. 

You probably know the A-listers set to star in OD, yet we don't yet know which characters they will be playing. Toward the end of the trailer, Lillis’ character screams in horror at what we presume to be approaching from behind a door. Just as the game’s name sounds strange, so does the story, which hopefully becomes clearer with time.

Gameplay

OD has to be the most perplexing game we’re holding out for. It’s also called ‘Overdose,’ and seems to capitalize on fear. So, we’re presuming it’ll be a horror game designed for ‘screamers’ as indicated by the trailer. Still, Kojima goes on to express further that OD will be unique and immersive. It’ll be a new form of media—not just a horror game but also a movie. As Kojima Productions puts it, “OD explores the concept of testing your fear threshold and what it means to OD on fear.”

With Jordan Peele’s involvement in the game as well, we’re certain groundbreaking film and storytelling will come into play. Kojima says that he’s aiming to create something we haven’t seen before. And while that only makes it all the more complicated, my expectations are still at peak levels for what’s to come.

Development

We can confirm that Kojima Productions, in collaboration with Xbox Game Studios, are currently working on OD. The partnership aims to bring OD to the cloud via Xbox Cloud Gaming. What’s more? It’ll bring along iconic designer Hideo Kojima as well as Oscar-winning film director Jordan Peele. Both have worked on showstopping media that dare push the boundaries of their respective genres. Combined, it’s exciting to see what they have in store for us.

But Peele happens to be “one of several talented storytellers involved in the project.” Also, fans have spotted subtle references to Silent Hill in the trailer, which Kojima was previously working on at the game publisher, Konami. However, Kojima left Konami in 2015, and the Silent Hill project shut down. Now, perhaps Kojima is planning to carry forward some of his vision for Silent Hill to OD. We’ll see.

Other than that, OD plans to use the power of Unreal Engine 5 and MetaHuman technologies to display the most immersive and compelling visuals we can’t wait to see.

Trailer

OD’s teaser trailer first hit the airwaves at the Game Awards 2023, and it was nothing short of strange and spooky. We see three of the starring main actors reading out loud a creepy tongue twister. Their eyes illuminate the camera lights likely set up before them as their heads float about against a black background. Watch the teaser trailer above, will you?

Release Date, Platforms, & Editions

This is only the beginning, as the development of OD has only just been announced. Besides the sparsely detailed teaser trailer at the Game Awards 2023, we haven’t seen much else with regard to the story or gameplay. I wouldn’t expect to find out anything more anytime soon either, which, in addition to Kojima currently developing Death Stranding 2, suggests the release date will likely be a couple of years away.

We do have a rough idea of the platforms we can expect OD to launch on. Seeing as Kojima Productions will collaborate with Xbox Game Studios, we can expect OD to launch on Xbox Series X/S and possibly Xbox One. Other platforms remain anybody’s guess for now. As for the editions, it’s still too soon to say. But, as always, feel free to follow the official social handle here. We’ll also keep an eye out for new updates and let you know as soon as they come up.

So, what’s your take? Will you be grabbing a copy of OD when it drops? Let us know over on our socials here.