Hideo Kojima's scary Xbox horror game, OD: Knock, gets its first trailer

The first trailer for OD: Knock from Kojima Productions has just dropped. For those who don’t know, that’s the upcoming Xbox Game Studios project of Hideo Kojima.

The trailer was launched during today’s Kojima Productions: Beyond the Strand livestream, where Kojima himself explained the game’s eerie subtitle. He also gave a cheeky warning to players, saying, “It’s really scary, and you’ll probably do in your pants.” Well, I guess that sums up what the game will be like.

Speaking of OD: Knock’s trailer, the initial footage shows us Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves star Sophia Lillis in a haunted house setting. She is doing some lighting ritual candles before meeting a sinister figure. That follows a constant knocking sound in the scene, amplifying the game’s unsettling tone.

For the uninitiated, OD has been in the spotlight since 2022, when Kojima appeared on stage at the Xbox showcase to announce a “cloud-powered horror experience.” At the time, the project had no name, no visuals, and was described only as something “never seen before.”

We’ve seen speculations across gaming forums, with many assuming Kojima would merge cinematic storytelling with experimental gameplay. Now, with OD: Knock’s first trailer, the picture is getting clearer.

Kojima confirmed that the “knock” theme distinguishes his game from filmmaker Jordan Peele’s separate OD project. “There is a different kind of fear Jordan will do. Mine is the ‘knock,’” Kojima said.

The trailer is powered by Unreal Engine, which highlights a partnership between Kojima Productions and the Xbox team. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has also lauded the project, calling it “bold, unique, and unmistakably Kojima.” He noted that development is “well underway” with technical support from Microsoft’s Unreal team.