It has been three years since Hideo Kojima and Xbox Game Studios announced their collaboration on Project OD and Hideo Kojima is finally opening up a bit about how challenging it was to find a home for the experimental project.
Hideo Kojima recently chatted with EW about the process of pitching OD and work on the mysterious horror-themed game. During the conversation, Kojima explained that:
“I pitched to many people, to the big companies, and also to the up-and-coming companies. All of them said the same thing,” Kojima recalls. “They said that I’m crazy, and that they really don’t understand the concept — that they will not be able to do it.”
Eventually, Phil Spencer ended up being the one to give Kojima permissions and resources to run with the concept. Although Xbox is rumored to currently in the process of potentially parting ways with studios who haven’t developed recent hits, it sounds like Asha Sharma is still a believer in OD for now. She has described the game as deeply moving and explained that she “wants to give it space.”
Kojima games frequently become critical hits and have success with consumers, but they also take a very long time to make and are likely a risky investment due to their timelines and big budgets.
For those who are unfamiliar with this project, OD is an upcoming horror game directed, produced, and designed by Hideo Kojima, who co-wrote it with Jordan Peele. The game is being developed by Kojima Productions and will be published by Xbox Game Studios.
Kojima Teases OD’s Groundbreaking System
Although Kojima still remains very secretive about exactly what OD is, he did tease a bit about the game’s core system, which is designed to test the limits of how much fear a player can handle.
“I had this OD concept since I was working on DS1 [Death Stranding] and I was working on it just by myself. I can’t reveal much detail, but it’s something that no one has ever seen before. A new game system.”
He went on to explain that, “I wanted to go beyond the limit of the ‘scariness’ that other games had reached. It’s a single-player game, and I wanted to make it as scary as possible. But for those that might stop playing when it gets too scary, I have thought of a system that will allow them to keep going. I can’t say much more, because it’ll give too much of a hint on the system, and I could get in trouble for saying too much!”
This is not the first time gamers have heard Kojima have ambitious visions about creating a whole new genre or system that has never been attempted before. During the lead up to Death Stranding the creator pitched that game’s core systems as something that would inspire a new genre of “strand type games.”
Kojima fans have been eager to see the artist return to the horror genre since the days of the infamous P.T. demo. The creator clearly has what it takes to build tension and provide scares alongside moving stories and compelling gameplay, so it will be very exciting to see what OD looks like when it’s finished and how the game actually feels once players have controllers in their hands and take it for a spin.
Be sure to check back soon for more news and updates on OD and everything else Hideo Kojima is up to.
OD does not currently have a final title or a release window.
The post Hideo Kojima Discusses Xbox Horror Game OD: “They Said That I’m Crazy” appeared first on VICE.
