Alongside multiple project cancellations from inside Xbox HQ, certain external efforts have also been affected by this week's Microsoft layoffs - including Romero Games and its now-canned AAA FPS. However, thankfully, it looks as though Kojima Productions' Xbox collaboration is currently safe from cancellation.
This information comes from Windows Central, which responded to online rumours about OD with a report basically stating that the game is still in development right now. Here's an excerpt from the report, which talks about the Hideo Kojima project:
"I can confirm that at least one of these projects still lives,"
I've seen some speculation online that this game may have also been hit by the cutbacks, but according to our sources, that isn't the case. At least for now."
Although we don't know the full detail of Microsoft's partnership with Kojima Productions on OD, we'd assume that Xbox is contributing significant funding to its development and marketing. It's always tough to gauge just how much money and resources a platform holder pours into a collab like this, but whatever that all amounts to, the project seems safe for now.
Before we sign off here, another Xbox Game Studios collaboration in Contraband also gets brought up in this report. Responding to folks spotting that the game's announcement trailer was removed from the Xbox YouTube channel recently, WC's Jez Corden says "it has been suggested to me" that music licensing issues are the cause of this removal - even if it's not the best look right now for the Avalanche Studios developed title.