Hideo Kojima has revealed that his upcoming Xbox-published horror game, OD, includes a secret system designed to help players continue when the experience becomes too frightening.
Speaking as part of an Entertainment Weekly feature marking Xbox’s 25th anniversary, Kojima said his goal with OD is to “go beyond the liit of ‘scariness’ that other games had reached”. However, he has also considered what happens when that fear becomes strong enough to make someone stop playing entirely.
The designed confirmed that OD is a single-player game and said the team has developed an undisclosed mechanic that will allow frightened players to keep progressing. Kojima declined to explain how the system works, saying that revealing anything further would provide too large a clue about the game’s underlying concept.
OD Wants Players to ‘Overdose on Fear’
Much of OD remains deliberately unexplained, but its title reportedly reflects the central idea of making players “overdose on fear”. Kojima said he began developing the concept himself while working on the first Death Stranding.
According to Kojima, he presented the idea to several established and emerging companies before working with Xbox. Those companies reportedly struggled to understand how the proposed system would work and dismissed the concept as too unusual to produce. Former Xbox head Phil Spencer ultimately agreed to support the project.
Kojima continues to describe OD as a new type of game built around a system that players have not experienced before. That secrecy makes it difficult to determine whether the newly mentioned accessibility mechanic adjusts the intensity of the horror, changes the way players interact with frightening scenes, or takes an entirely different approach.
For now, Kojima Producutions is keeping that answer hidden.
Production Has Begun With OD’s Cast
The new feature also confirms that filming has begun with OD’s actors. The game’s three main characters are portrayed by Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer and the late Udo Kier.
Kojima Productions completed a scan of Kier before the actor’s death in November 2025, although the team was unable to conduct a full performance shoot with him. The studio has not explained how this will affect his role in the finished game.
OD is being developed by Kojima Productions in collaboration with Get Out director Jordan Peele. The project runs on Unreal Engine 5, while previously released footage has focused on photorealistic characters, unsettling noises and a candlelit ritual inside a dark house.
Current Xbox head Asha Sharma described OD as a “deeply moving game” and argued that projects of this kind demonstrate that the boundaries of the medium have not yet been reached.
Kojima Productions has not announced a release date for OD.
FAQ
What is the secret system in Kojima’s OD?
Kojima has not explained exactly how it works. He only confirmed that the system is intended to help players continue if the game becomes too frightening.
Is OD a single-player game?
Yes. Hideo Kojima has confirmed that OD is being designed as a single-player horror game.
Who stars in OD?
OD features Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer and the late Udo Kier as its three main characters.
When will OD be released?
Kojima Productions and Xbox have not announced a release date for OD.
