Screams of Innovation: Kojima's OD Teases Multiplayer Horror Experience in Cryptic Trademarks

Kojima Productions' upcoming game, OD, might take the form of a multiplayer survival horror experience, according to recent intellectual property filings. The revelation follows the game's teaser announcement at The Game Awards 2023, where Hideo Kojima described OD as a groundbreaking fusion of film and gaming, leaving the gaming community with more questions than answers regarding this Xbox console exclusive.

Initially confirmed during the June 2022 Xbox Games Showcase, OD was introduced as a title leveraging Microsoft's cloud gaming technology. While speculation arose about potential multiplayer capabilities, no official confirmation has been provided to date.

Recent trademark filings by Kojima Productions have added fuel to the multiplayer speculation, with applications for trademarks like "Social Stealth" and "Social Scream System." The latter even features an SSS logo, prominently displayed at the conclusion of the OD reveal trailer. Although the term "social stealth" has historical ties to single-player mechanics, Kojima's track record with experimental multiplayer features, seen in Metal Gear Solid 5's FOB mode and Death Stranding's Social Strand System, suggests a potential multiplayer focus for OD. The similarity between the Social Scream System and Death Stranding's asynchronous multiplayer further reinforces this connection.

The newfound trademarks also appear to align with the thematic elements of the OD teaser, suggesting a focus on screaming, potentially catering to streamers. The peculiar OD trailer explicitly stated the game is "for all players and screamers." While the specifics of the Social Scream System remain undisclosed, there's speculation that it could involve utilizing microphones to capture player sounds.

Kojima's previous P.T. demo for the canceled Silent Hills game in 2014 hinted at a similar concept, where certain solutions required players to make sounds using a headset. However, the demo was designed to be completed without a microphone, leaving room for OD to adopt a similar mechanic without imposing what some might perceive as gimmicky controls.