Honestly, if you told a gamer five years ago that the star of Euphoria and the mastermind behind Metal Gear Solid would be teaming up to make a horror game about "overdosing on fear," they probably would’ve asked what you were smoking. But here we are in 2026. Hunter Schafer and Hideo Kojima are officially the duo everyone is watching.
It's weird. It's ambitious. It’s uniquely Kojima.
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The project, simply titled OD (and no, we still don't totally know if that stands for Overdose or just the literal act of OD-ing on terror), has become a lightning rod for speculation. Since that haunting teaser at The Game Awards back in 2023, the breadcrumbs have only gotten stranger. With the recent 2025 "Knock" trailer and Kojima's "Third Phase" studio updates heading into 2026, the picture is finally—sorta—coming into focus.
What is OD, actually?
Kojima is allergic to making normal video games. You’ve seen Death Stranding—the "walking simulator" that actually ended up being a deeply emotional meditation on human connection. With OD, he’s pushing the envelope even further. He’s calling it a "new form of media." Basically, it’s a blur between a movie and a game.
Microsoft is footing the bill, using their Xbox Cloud Gaming tech to do things local hardware apparently can't handle. Imagine a game that reacts to your physiological fear. That’s the vibe.
- The Partnership: It’s not just Kojima. He’s brought in Jordan Peele (the genius behind Get Out and Nope).
- The Engine: It’s running on Unreal Engine 5 using MetaHuman tech, which explains why the character renders of Hunter Schafer look almost terrifyingly real.
- The Vibe: First-person, claustrophobic, and psychological. Think P.T. but with a massive Hollywood budget.
Hunter Schafer: More Than Just a Famous Face
When Hunter Schafer was announced as a lead, the internet basically broke. She’s not just "the girl from Euphoria." She’s an artist, a model, and now, a digital avatar for our collective nightmares.
In the latest teasers, we see her performing these bizarre, ritualistic actions—lighting baby-shaped candles while a persistent, rhythmic knocking echoes in the background. It’s subtle horror. It’s the kind of thing that gets under your skin because of how human the expressions are. Kojima is famous for his "scans," but the work done with Schafer feels next-level. You can see the micro-tremors in her pupils.
People have been asking: Why her? Kojima has always had a thing for actors who possess a certain "ethereal" quality. Think Norman Reedus or Mads Mikkelsen. Schafer has that exact same energy—high-fashion, slightly otherworldly, but deeply expressive. She’s the perfect vessel for a game that wants to "test your fear threshold."
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The "Knock" Trailer and the 2026 Roadmap
During the Kojima Productions 10th Anniversary event in late 2025, we finally got a real look at gameplay—or whatever "media" this is. The trailer, subtitled Knock, featured Sophia Lillis (IT) and Hunter Schafer.
The concept is simple: Fear of the unknown. Kojima mentioned that the sound of a loud knock is a personal phobia of his. In the game, it seems like you’re trapped in a room, and the only way to progress is to engage with these creepy, "baby-centric" shrines. When you light a candle, you hear a scream. Then the knocking starts. It’s a loop, much like the infamous hallway in P.T., but with branching psychological paths.
Who else is involved?
The cast is stacked, but it’s also seen some tragedy.
- Sophia Lillis: The primary playable face we've seen so far.
- Hunter Schafer: Confirmed for a major, likely secondary lead or co-protagonist role.
- Udo Kier: The legendary actor passed away in late 2025. Kojima recently confirmed that Kier hadn't finished his performance capture before his death, meaning the team is currently figuring out how to handle his role in 2026.
Kojima calls this group his "Avengers." He’s teased other directors are involved, too. It’s basically an anthology of fear.
Why This Matters for Gaming
Most games try to be fun. OD doesn't seem to care about that.
Kojima famously said that people will either "love it or hate it" and that it might take 20 years to truly be appreciated. That’s peak Kojima. He’s trying to change the "service model" of games. Instead of a 40-hour campaign, it might be an experiential platform where you "OD" on specific fears designed by different creators.
If you’re waiting for a release date, don't hold your breath. 2026 is being described by the studio as a year for "laying solid foundations." They are still in the thick of performance capture and scanning. With Death Stranding 2: On the Beach likely coming first, OD is looking like a 2027 or 2028 title.
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What You Should Do Now
If you’re obsessed with this collaboration, there are a few things you can actually do to keep up with the mystery:
- Watch the "Knock" trailer 100 times. Seriously. Kojima told fans to do this because there are "big hints" hidden in the frames and the audio.
- Follow the "The Hungry Purple Dinosaur" riddle. The poem recited by the actors in the first teaser isn't nonsense. It's a phonetic test for MetaHuman lip-syncing, but fans believe the specific words (vending, quacking, zingy) are a code for upcoming features.
- Check out Cuckoo. If you want to see why Kojima picked Hunter Schafer for a horror project, watch her 2024 film Cuckoo. It’s got that same unsettling, "off-kilter" vibe that fits perfectly in a Kojima world.
The intersection of Hunter Schafer and Hideo Kojima is more than just a celebrity cameo. It’s a pivot point for the industry. Whether it’s a masterpiece or a total disaster, it’s going to be the most interesting thing we play this decade.