Summary
- Kojima Productions’ OD is still in development, reportedly still funded by Xbox—for now.
- The game was announced at The Game Awards 2023, featuring Jordan Peele and Xbox cloud tech.
- Despite sweeping layoffs and cancellations at Xbox, OD has not been cut yet.
OD Survives Xbox’s Massive Wave of Cuts—For Now
Amid mass layoffs and cancellations across Microsoft’s gaming division, Kojima Productions’ horror project OD is still alive. According to a report from Windows Central, sources confirm that Microsoft continues to fund the game—at least for now.
While that doesn’t guarantee long-term safety, it’s a sign that Xbox and Hideo Kojima are still working together despite the chaos surrounding Xbox Game Studios.
The update comes after Microsoft laid off around 9,000 employees this week, including staff from high-profile studios like Rare, ZeniMax, and Turn 10. Games like Perfect Dark and Everwild were officially cancelled, and even legends like Doom creator John Romero lost Xbox funding for their projects.
These cuts are reportedly part of Microsoft’s broader shift to focus on AI infrastructure, which is estimated to cost the company $80 billion.
What Is OD and Why Is It Important?
OD (previously leaked as “Overdose”) was officially revealed at The Game Awards 2023. Directed by Hideo Kojima and involving filmmaker Jordan Peele, the game is pitched as a “one-of-a-kind experience” powered by Xbox cloud technology.
The announcement trailer featured actors Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier, but offered very little else. Since then, development has faced delays, particularly due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes, but it was never officially halted.
Unlike Xbox-owned studios that were hit hard by this week’s restructuring, Kojima Productions is independent. That separation may be why OD escaped the latest round of cuts, even if its continued future with Xbox remains uncertain.
Well, with studios like The Initiative shut down, Perfect Dark and ZeniMax’s MMO Blackbird cancelled, and even Halo and Forza teams losing massive staff, it’s been one of Xbox’s most brutal periods.
The fact that Kojima’s project survives is a rare bright spot, but the report’s wording—“at least for now”—suggests even OD isn’t immune from risk. Whether it actually sees the light of day now depends on whether Microsoft chooses to protect creative experiments or continue cutting them in favour of safer bets like Call of Duty.
