I’m sure he needs no introduction. The man, the myth, the guy who got extremely detailed scans of feet for at least one of his games (seriously), Hideo Kojima, has sat down recently and spoken with Entertainment Weekly in what I can only describe as an all-hands-on interview with Xbox.
The interview covers Xbox's foray into the entertainment industry, and there’s a lot to unpack, which I’ve done in various other explainers. Interestingly, though, we also got a new look at OD, including small details about its cast, revealing the main characters, which are Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier, who has sadly since passed away.
The article reveals that Kier underwent a full scan prior to his passing in November last year. However, his involvement in the game has not been detailed. Kojima did, however, discuss the game itself a little, stating: “I wanted to do something new. I wanted to do something different… 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.”
Kojima also detailed the process of pitching the project, and it seems Xbox wasn't the first company he approached. He said:
“I pitched to many people, to the big companies, and also to the up-and-coming companies. All of them said the same thing…They said that I'm crazy, and that they really don't understand the concept - that they will not be able to do it.”
According to the article, however, Phil Spencer, the former head of Microsoft Gaming, understood what Kojima was attempting to achieve. So does Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who commented on the game, calling it a “deeply moving game.”
She went on to add, “I've got great artists and creatives that can pick a great game better than I can, and so I want to give it space, but most importantly, I think it just represents another kind of game.”
We also got a small teaser from Kojima. He told Entertainment Weekly:
“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!”
But wait, there’s more. Sharma chimed in one final time, lamenting that games like OD have shown her that Xbox has “not reached the boundary of games, and, therefore, we need to make sure our platform is sufficiently open so more creators and developers can come on board and be successful, because the next Kojima is yet to be known.”
It's important to include the full context of what was discussed, and to be honest, whatever Kojima is cooking up sounds wildly ambitious, and I’m here for it. Hopefully, we don’t have to wait much longer to learn more, but let me know your thoughts on what was said, and don’t forget to take part in our poll below:
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