Kojima Productions’ OD may have fans anticipating its release now, but almost nobody wanted to be involved in the project back when it was being conceptualized, according to Hideo Kojima. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director said several individuals, big companies and up-and-coming businesses turned OD down before it was ultimately picked up by Xbox Game Studios.
Kojima came up with the original concept for OD by himself when he was working on the first Death Stranding, meaning the horror game was conceptualized before 2019. His desire to do something new and different spawned an entirely new game system, which will make its debut in OD.
However, in response to his pitch, Kojima says everyone gave him the same response. “They said that I’m crazy, and that they really don’t understand the concept — that they will not be able to do it.”
OD would eventually find a publisher in Xbox Game Studios, thanks to former CEO Phil Spencer and current CEO Asha Sharma – both of whom understood what Kojima was trying to achieve. According to Sharma, OD is a “deeply moving game” that she wants to give room to breathe.
In true Kojima fashion, the director cryptically teased that OD goes “beyond the limit of scariness that other games have reached,” saying that he wants to make it as scary as possible. On the other hand, one of the game’s systems allows you to keep playing even if you find things too scary, though Kojima refused to elaborate lest he ruin the surprise.
OD is currently in development.
