{"id":6820,"date":"2026-07-06T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/?p=6820"},"modified":"2026-07-06T14:11:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T11:11:55","slug":"kojima-od-game-cancelled-xbox-reset-status-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/kojima-od-game-cancelled-xbox-reset-status-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Kojima&#8217;s OD Survives the Xbox Reset: Everything We Know So Far"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Microsoft&#8217;s Xbox Reset shutters studios and cancels projects, Hideo Kojima&#8217;s horror game OD remains safe. Here&#8217;s the full picture on its development status, star-studded cast, anthology format, and why Xbox chose to protect it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hideo Kojima&#8217;s horror game OD has not been cancelled. As confirmed by Variety and IGN in late June 2026, the publishing deal between Kojima Productions and Xbox Game Studios remains intact, and development is actively progressing. This matters because Microsoft&#8217;s sweeping &#8220;Xbox Reset,&#8221; a 100-day restructuring initiative led by Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, has already shut down studios, laid off staff, and terminated third-party deals across the company&#8217;s gaming division. OD is one of the few external projects that made it through the filter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is the Xbox Reset and What Has It Cost?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In June 2026, Asha Sharma announced a 100-day restructuring plan designed to realign Xbox&#8217;s investments with a tighter strategic focus. The impact has been severe. Compulsion Games (South of Midnight) was shut down. Ninja Theory (Hellblade) entered a closure process shortly after debuting a trailer for its next game, Senua, at the June 7 Xbox Showcase. Double Fine (Psychonauts) faces an uncertain future. Arkane Studios (Dishonored, Prey) is reportedly being evaluated for closure, putting the Marvel&#8217;s Blade project in limbo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cuts extended beyond first-party studios. Xbox pulled out of its publishing deal with IO Interactive for Project Fantasy, a new RPG from the Hitman developer. IO confirmed it would continue the game independently. Patrice Desilets&#8217; 1666: Amsterdam also lost its Xbox publishing arrangement, though development continues with a Steam demo already available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Against this backdrop, every surviving Xbox project carries weight. OD&#8217;s survival is not just good news for Kojima fans; it reveals which investments Microsoft considers essential to the platform&#8217;s identity going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Did Xbox Protect OD?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asha Sharma publicly endorsed the project, calling Kojima one of the industry&#8217;s top creative minds. In comments reported by Vice, Sharma said: &#8220;I&#8217;ve got great artists and creatives that can pick a great game better than I can, and so I want to give it space.&#8221; The decision to shield OD from cuts appears rooted in several strategic factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Brand prestige:<\/strong> A Kojima project generates global attention, trailer analysis, streaming culture interest, and industry debate regardless of release timeline. Xbox needs cultural flagship projects to define its platform identity in an increasingly multiplatform era.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cloud technology showcase:<\/strong> OD was pitched in 2022 as a project that would use Xbox&#8217;s cloud infrastructure to create something previously impossible. That positioning still aligns with Microsoft&#8217;s broader tech narrative.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Community risk:<\/strong> Kojima fans already suffered through the cancellation of P.T. and Silent Hills at Konami. Cancelling another Kojima horror project would have triggered enormous backlash aimed directly at Xbox.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Category differentiation:<\/strong> IO Interactive&#8217;s Project Fantasy occupied an RPG space where Xbox already has significant coverage through Bethesda, Obsidian, and Blizzard. OD occupies a unique, creator-driven horror niche that no other Xbox title fills.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Exactly Is OD?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OD is a horror game developed by Kojima Productions on Unreal Engine 5 and published by Xbox Game Studios. Kojima describes it as &#8220;a game, a movie, and a new form of media&#8221; simultaneously. The core concept revolves around testing the player&#8217;s fear threshold and exploring what it means to &#8220;OD on fear.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The project takes an anthology approach. At Kojima Productions&#8217; 10th anniversary event in September 2025, Kojima revealed that OD will feature horror segments written by multiple directors he called &#8220;the Avengers,&#8221; including himself and Oscar-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele. Each director addresses a different type of fear. Kojima cited the sound of knocking on a door as a personal fear, while Peele would tackle something entirely different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most intriguing design elements is a mechanic built around the tension between wanting to stop playing out of fear and feeling compelled to continue out of curiosity. Kojima also confirmed a system to help players who find the experience too frightening, allowing them to keep progressing rather than abandoning the game entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who Is in the Cast?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OD features a notable cast drawn from film and television:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sophia Lillis:<\/strong> Known for playing Beverly Marsh in IT and IT Chapter Two. She appeared prominently in both the 2023 reveal trailer and the 2025 &#8220;Knock&#8221; teaser.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hunter Schafer:<\/strong> The Euphoria star and model who also appeared in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Udo Kier:<\/strong> The legendary German actor known for decades of genre film work. Kier passed away, and Kojima confirmed in November 2025 that he did not complete his voice and motion capture recordings. He will appear posthumously.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jordan Peele:<\/strong> The Get Out, Us, and Nope director serves as co-writer and creative collaborator.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaked footage from 2022 also showed a character visually resembling Margaret Qualley, though her involvement has never been officially confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Has Development Progressed?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OD&#8217;s development has not been straightforward. Kojima first conceived the project during the production of Death Stranding in 2019. He pitched it to multiple publishers, all of whom rejected it. According to Kojima, executives told him he was &#8220;crazy&#8221; and couldn&#8217;t understand the concept. Xbox, under then-boss Phil Spencer, was the only platform holder willing to fund it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Key milestones include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>June 2022:<\/strong> Xbox Games Showcase partnership announcement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>November 2022:<\/strong> Roughly 2.5 minutes of alleged gameplay leaked, showing a third-person perspective character walking through dark corridors with a flashlight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>December 2023:<\/strong> Official reveal at The Game Awards with Kojima and Peele on stage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Late 2024:<\/strong> Filming and scanning suspended due to the 2024-2025 SAG-AFTRA video game strike.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>September 2025:<\/strong> Second teaser &#8220;Knock&#8221; released at Kojima Productions&#8217; 10th anniversary event.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>June 2026:<\/strong> Development confirmed to have resumed and be progressing actively.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When Will OD Release?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no official release date. Neither Kojima Productions nor Xbox Game Studios has provided a release window. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach shipped in 2025, freeing Kojima to devote more attention to OD. However, Kojima is also working on Physint, an action-espionage title in partnership with PlayStation, which he has said could take another five to six years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Industry estimates place OD&#8217;s potential launch around 2027 or 2028 at the earliest. The game is confirmed for Xbox Series X|S and PC. Whether it will come to PlayStation 5 remains an open question, given Microsoft&#8217;s evolving multiplatform strategy, but there has been no official announcement regarding additional platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The P.T. Connection: Why This Matters to Horror Fans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A significant part of OD&#8217;s mystique comes from Kojima&#8217;s history with P.T., the 2014 playable teaser for Silent Hills. Developed with Guillermo del Toro at Konami, P.T. became one of the most celebrated horror experiences in gaming before Kojima&#8217;s departure from Konami led to the project&#8217;s cancellation and the demo&#8217;s removal from the PlayStation Store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OD&#8217;s &#8220;Knock&#8221; trailer drew immediate P.T. comparisons. Jez Corden of Windows Central said it looked &#8220;ripped straight out&#8221; of P.T. Matt Purslow at IGN identified &#8220;clear parallels,&#8221; noting reused motifs including ominous knocking, terrifying imagery, and claustrophobic corridor design. For fans who mourned Silent Hills, OD represents Kojima&#8217;s chance to finish what he started over a decade ago, this time with a publisher that has publicly committed to protecting the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Players Keep Asking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is OD an Xbox exclusive?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently confirmed for Xbox Series X|S and PC only. Microsoft&#8217;s recent willingness to bring some first-party titles to PlayStation has fuelled speculation about future multiplatform availability, but no PlayStation version has been announced or confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will OD launch on Game Pass on day one?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Xbox Game Studios titles have traditionally launched into Game Pass on day one. However, the Xbox Reset has introduced exceptions: Call of Duty&#8217;s newest entry, for instance, was explicitly marketed as not being on Game Pass at launch. A day-one Game Pass release for OD remains likely but not guaranteed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happened with Udo Kier?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kojima confirmed in November 2025 that Kier had not finished recording his voice and motion capture work before his death. Minor revisions were made to the project&#8217;s plans, but character designs were described as largely complete. Kier will still appear in a posthumous role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What role does Jordan Peele play in development?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Peele is credited as co-writer. He is one of several directors contributing horror segments to the game&#8217;s anthology structure. Peele and Kojima are addressing different categories of fear within the same framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How scary will OD actually be?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kojima has said he wants to make the game &#8220;as scary as possible&#8221; and &#8220;go beyond the limit of scariness&#8221; compared to existing horror titles. At the same time, a built-in assistance system will help players continue if the experience becomes overwhelming, balancing extreme horror with accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Bottom Line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OD is alive, protected, and in active development as of mid-2026. In an Xbox ecosystem where studios are closing and budgets are tightening, Microsoft&#8217;s decision to keep Kojima&#8217;s project going signals that OD sits at the core of the platform&#8217;s creative identity strategy. No release date has been set, but with Death Stranding 2 shipped, the SAG-AFTRA strike resolved, and Xbox publicly reaffirming its commitment, the path forward is clearer than it has been in years. For horror fans and Kojima devotees alike, the wait continues, but at least the project is no longer in question.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While Microsoft&#8217;s Xbox Reset shutters studios and cancels projects, Hideo Kojima&#8217;s horror game OD remains safe. Here&#8217;s the full picture on its development status, star-studded cast, anthology format, and why Xbox chose to protect it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[285],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6820"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6822,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6820\/revisions\/6822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}