Hideo Kojima’s upcoming action-espionage game Physint has found a surprising new home after PlayStation reportedly pulled out as a development partner earlier in June.
Out of the blue, Xbox announced that it will now publish Physint, expanding its existing partnership with Kojima Productions beyond the upcoming horror game OD. The move is particularly notable considering Physint was originally announced alongside PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst during a 2024 State of Play. At the time, Kojima described the project as a new action-espionage IP that would blur the line between games and movies. When it was announced, it sounded like Physint was positioned as a return to Kojima’s roots after his work on the Metal Gear Solid series.
PlayStation says it made the “difficult decision” to step away from the project, while maintaining that its relationship with Kojima remains strong. Kojima offered considerably more context, painting a picture that the decision wasn’t mutual. The developer said Kojima Productions unexpectedly received notice from Sony Interactive Entertainment in mid-June that Physint would be cancelled. Rather than abandon the game, the studio spent the following three months searching for another partner.
That search ultimately led back to Xbox. Kojima says the companies “share a common vision for the future” and confirmed development on Physint is continuing. The Xbox Wire post similarly said the company is supporting Kojima’s ambition to challenge conventions. The expanded deal goes beyond Physint. Xbox says it and Kojima Productions also plan to collaborate on film and television projects in the future. The goal is “to bring new stories to broader audiences.”
Xbox and Kojima were already partnered on OD, the mysterious horror project first announced in 2023. Their relationship actually stretches back further, with Microsoft first announcing a cloud-powered Kojima project in 2022.
Seeing a game once introduced on a PlayStation stage become an Xbox-published project is a fairly remarkable reversal, especially since Kojima Productions had a long-standing relationship with PlayStation. Both Death Stranding and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach were developed on PlayStation’s Decima engine. PlayStation also helped publish both titles (with 505 Games handling the PC and Xbox ports).
No release date or confirmed platforms have been announced for Physint under its new publishing arrangement.
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