Jordan Peele and Hideo Kojima are collaborating on a video game, bringing the two iconic auteurs together for the first time. It's safe to say that nobody saw this coming.
The unlikely duo announced their new game OD during The Game Awards on Thursday night. Kojima is a well-known and widely-respected figure at such events, having designed the first Metal Gear and directed most of the titles in the series. However, Peele's dramatic entrance to the soundtrack of his 2019 horror film Us was an unexpected surprise.
"From the first moment I played Metal Gear Solid 2 I knew I was experiencing the work of an artist whose craft just hits different," said Peele. "He's been an inspiration to me and the opportunity to collaborate with him is truly incredible."
"In my film I'm always trying to maximise the immersion [and] put the audience into the main character's shoes. Hideo is the master of this, and he does it on a whole 'nother level. And what he's cooking up here is completely immersive, utterly terrifying, and I am absolutely honoured to be collaborating with the GOAT."
Kojima was similarly complimentary, calling Peele a "genius" and saying that he was a "big fan."
Developed by Kojima Productions and published by Xbox Game Studios, OD intends to explore "the concept of testing your fear threshold, and what it means to OD on fear."
Few further details have been released about OD, but we do know the game will feature Sophia Lillis (It, Sharp Objects), Hunter Schafer (Euphoria, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), and Udo Kier (Flesh for Frankenstein, Downsizing). Digital recreations of all three actors appeared in a brief teaser trailer, repeating nonsensical phrases and becoming increasingly distressed.
Kojima is also aiming to challenge the conventions of video games as a medium, much like he intended to invent a new genre of games with 2019's Death Stranding.
"It is a game, don't get me wrong, but it's at the same time a movie, [and] at the same time a new form of media," said Kojima, speaking through a translator.
Though Peele's involvement is exciting enough, Kojima also teased that the man behind Get Out and Nope may not be the only big creator joining him on OD.
"It's not just Jordan," said Kojima. "I have other creative, collaborative partners with me on board on this project. I can't really say who they are right now, but I tell you, they are the legends, and they're going to be amazing."
No release date has yet been announced.
