An independent journalist has drawn the attention of Hideo Kojima’s development studio, Kojima Productions, after publishing a story revealing supposed details about the Metal Gear creator’s next game. The game, which the journalist claimed is a horror title, is apparently dubbed Overdose and stars actress Margaret Qualley, who previously appeared in Kojima’s Death Stranding. Kojima Productions quickly moved to request that the story be taken down.
Tom Henderson, a freelance reporter who regularly publishes on Try Hard Guides, wrote about Overdose in a June 7 post. The story included some purported details about KojiPro’s next game, including that it can be played in first- and third-person. Apparently the footage Henderson saw, which he claims was sent to him under the condition of anonymity, showed Qualley in a blue dress walking through dark corridors with just a flashlight. After a brief bit of exploration, a jump scare hits the screen, followed by some “Game Over” text, and then the words: “A Hideo Kojima Game…Overdose.”
This would’ve been an open-and-shut case had it ended there. I mean, Henderson simply reported on what he saw and that was it. Nothing else to it. However, a KojiPro representative then reached out to Henderson in an attempt to take the story down, which has given this “leak” some credence.
When asked about the situation, Henderson told Kotaku over Twitter DMs that he learned about Overdose “a couple of days ago” but had been hearing rumors of its existence “for a long time.” He clarified that what he saw was maybe “1-2 minutes worth of footage,” which was enough to report on, so he shared what he could actually verify. Then came the email from KojiPro.
“I’ve seen a game that says it’s a ‘Hideo Kojima game’ but has not leaked any footage,” Henderson said. “The gist [of the email] was a request to remove the article and social post and they would be happy to work with me when they can share more (I’m assuming they don’t know what I do).”
Henderson was quick to point out that he hadn’t leaked any official images or videos of the game or “breached any NDAs” when reporting his story, but specified he’d share more if KojiPro denied the claims. Kotaku has reached out to Kojima Productions for comment.
According to Henderson, whatever Overdose is, it doesn’t appear to be a Death Stranding sequel even if Margaret Qualley, who played Mama alongside Norman Reedus’ Sam Porter Bridges, appears in the game. It’s curious that they’re not connected considering Reedus seemingly revealed Death Stranding 2 in an interview with men’s lifestyle site Leo last month, though it’s also possible that Reedus’ comments simply meant he was working on another game with Kojima, and not specifically a Death Stranding follow-up.
Read More: Death Stranding Sequel Seemingly Acknowledged By Norman Reedus
Still, Henderson thinks that with Kojima reportedly talking to Xbox about publishing his next game, an announcement may be imminent. Kojima was also zooming with Summer Games Fest host Geoff Keighley last month so who knows? Assuming it’s a real game, Overdose could show up sooner than we expect.