Hideo Kojima Isn’t Entirely Sure That His Horror OD ‘Will Work Out,’ As He Had to Rethink How He Makes Games ‘From the Ground Up’

Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding developer Hideo Kojima says his upcoming horror game, OD, is “challenging” to develop because, unlike his prior games, this one required a change in how he makes games “from the ground up.”

OD isn’t the first time Kojima has dabbled in horror, of course. P.T. is his uniquely terrifying spin on the horror genre, presented via a home filled with unexpected encounters and bizarre mysteries. In the end, P.T. revealed itself to be a “Playable Trailer” for the secret project Silent Hills, which never came to fruition. For many — myself included — it’s considered one of the scariest video game experiences of all time.

Unfortunately, Konami cancelled Silent Hills in 2015 after a painfully public fallout with Kojima. The free-to-play demo was then scrubbed from PlayStation Network, provoking false rumors that the company was removing already downloaded copies of the demo from PS4 consoles worldwide. OD seems to pick up where P.T. left off, at least in spirit, and its latest trailer suggests it’s going to be every bit as terrifying, sparking speculation that it is connected to P.T. in some way.

The mysterious game will star Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ Sophia Lillis, Hunters’ Udo Kier, and Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer, with the trailer showcasing Lillis’ character in a spooky house, lighting candles before meeting a malevolent figure.

Now, talking to ananweb, as translated by Automaton, Kojima admitted that he’s not entirely sure that OD “will work out,” but did suggest that there are plenty of clues packed into the trailer.

“I can’t say exactly what it is yet, nor do I know if it will work out. We’ve created stealth games and delivery games which were unlike anything before, but system-wise, they were similar to other games,” Kojima said. “This time, we’re trying to change the service model from the ground up, so it should be quite challenging.

“We’ve packed the trailer full of hints, so if you keep thinking about it, you might figure it out,” he added.

And we have indeed been thinking about it! Check out our thoughts on how OD may indeed connect with P.T. right here.

In October, IGN reported that The Wachowskis, the writers and directors behind the Matrix movies, once asked Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima to design a Matrix video game, but publisher Konami reportedly turned it down. “The Wachowskis were big fans of Kojima,” Konami Digital Entertainment VP of licensing, Christopher Bergstresser, said at the time. “So Kazumi Kitaue, Kojima, Aki Saito (who still works with Kojima), and I were at the Konami HQ, and we got a call from the Wachowskis, who wanted to come in and meet with Kojima. So they did!”

Kojima responded to the claim just a few hours later, saying he was “surprised” to read the news, insisting: “no one ever told me such a conversation had taken place.”

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.