Highlights

  • The collaboration between Hideo Kojima and Jordan Peele on the horror game OD was revealed at the Game Awards 2023, confirming the game's status as a collaboration between Kojima Productions and Xbox Game Studios.
  • The trailer for OD featured cryptic imagery and clear references to PT, leading many fans to speculate about the connection between the two games.
  • While OD may be influenced by PT, it is expected to bring something new to the horror genre and build upon the foundation established by PT, creating a fresh and unique experience.

One of the most surprising reveals at the Game Awards 2023 was the announcement of the collaboration between gaming auteur Hideo Kojima and director Jordan Peele on the upcoming horror title OD. The reveal of OD finally confirms that this title will be a collaboration between Kojima Productions and Xbox Game Studios that brings to life a new horror experience and what Kojima claims to be a completely new style of game. The brief trailer for this game was incredibly cryptic, but even more mysterious were the clear references to PT during this presentation, which could end up revealing more about the game than what the audience was initially shown.

Many viewers were confused by this odd trailer that featured close-up shots of actors who repeated a strange phrase, becoming increasingly uncomfortable as the trailer went on, ending with a door opening reflected in the character's eyes that caused her to scream at the trailer's end. While the imagery of the trailer for OD drew comparisons to PT, what solidified the reveal as PT-inspired was how Kojima was introduced on stage. Rather than simply having him walk out on stage, Kojima emerged from behind a door that bore a striking resemblance to the one from PT, leading many fans to question the purpose of these references in relation to OD.

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How PT Could Influence OD

OD Could Reuse Elements of PT

PT, or Playable Teaser, was a demo released in 2014 for a new game in the Silent Hill series that was being developed by Kojima at Konami before being canceled in 2015 and having the demo removed from the PlayStation Store. Despite never amounting to a fully-released game, PT has had a massive influence on the horror gaming genre as it introduced a unique style of looping gameplay wherein players would walk down a hallway and through a door, revealing new horrors with each loop. Many games have tried to replicate the feel of PT in the years since it was released, but OD might finally be the true successor players have been waiting for.

It's clear Kojima had created something special with PT, so it's a shame that the full game never saw the light of day. However, some of the elements that were intended to be used for PT's gameplay may have been reused or reworked to fit within Kojima's vision for OD. If this is the case, it makes sense that he would want to utilize the familiar imagery of PT to tease fans of the demo and build excitement around the potential OD holds to carry on PT's legacy.

OD Might Build Upon Ideas Established by PT

The likelihood that OD is the successor to PT seems fairly high at this point, given the obvious reference made during this presentation at the Game Awards. Even the name OD being comprised of two simple letters is reminiscent of PT, so there is a clear through line between these two projects. However, this connection doesn't necessarily mean that OD will end up as a one-to-one copy of PT or of the Silent Hill game it was supposed to be a demo for.

It's been almost a decade since PT was released, and in that time many other horror titles have built upon the foundation that it established for the genre. As such, OD will need to bring something new to the table if it's truly going to be the new style of horror experience that Kojima claims it will be. While the horror genre has become saturated with PT-like games in the past decade, Kojima Production has the game development chops necessary to create a brand-new experience using PT as a base in a way no developer has before, and it's possible that these references at the Game Awards were meant to symbolize OD's evolution out of PT.