Kojima Says His Xbox-Exclusive Game OD Is “Risky” And Difficult To Explain

In addition to the PlayStation-exclusive Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Hideo Kojima’s Kojima Productions is making the Xbox-exclusive OD. In a new interview, the legendary game designer shared a small morsel about OD, referring to the game as “risky.”

He told Variety he wanted to work on a game outside the Death Stranding series, so he partnered with Microsoft for OD. “This is a game, but it’s a game like no other. I can’t go into too much detail, and it’s also hard to explain,” he said. “But it’s a bit risky and a new challenge for me within the realm of games.”

Kojima is partnering with Oscar-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele for OD. He said after meeting with Peele in Los Angeles and chatting, he explained the concept for OD and asked Peele to join.

“He was really interested in it, so I asked him to join me,” Kojima said.

Kojima is friends with many famous filmmakers, including Peele, Nicolas Winding Refn, Guillermo del Toro, and others. He said some of his movie-maker friends want to get into games but don’t know how, and that’s how his partnership with Peele came about.

“People in the movie or music industry love games, because they grew up with it, and I was really surprised by that. They may be filming movies, but they actually love games. I know people who are late to their shoot because they were playing games at home,” Kojima said.

He added: “So, I tell those people, ‘Then you should make games!’ But they all say, ‘I’d like to, but I don’t know how” and say they can’t do it. So, I thought, then why not do it together? And that’s how I came to partner with Jordan Peele to make a game together.”

When OD was announced, Peele said it was “unlike any other game; it’s going to be crazy.” The game will feature performances by actors Hunter Schafer, Sophia Lillis, and Udo Kier.

Kojima Productions is leveraging Microsoft’s cloud gaming technology to make an “immersive” game that he says is unlike anything that’s come before it. “It is a game, but at the same time a movie,” Kojima said through a translator.

The official description for OD states: “A Hideo Kojima game, OD explores the concept of testing your fear threshold, and what it means to OD on fear–while blurring the boundaries of gaming and film.”

In addition to Death Stranding 2 and OD, Kojima Productions is making an espionage game called Physint. Outside of games, Kojima is making a Death Stranding film with A24.

Kojima will discuss more of Death Stranding 2 at Tokyo Game Show this weekend on September 29. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more.