Today Microsoft announced that Hideo Kojima’s Physint, which serves as a sequel to Metal Gear Solid, will be published by Xbox rather than Sony. That partnership with PlayStation came to an end, having been put in place when the game was first shown to the public in 2024.
Xbox will keep publishing Kojima’s horror game OD, and the partnership between the two companies will now stretch beyond video games into film and television. According to Kojima, the two companies share “a common vision for the future.”.
Why Kojima Left Sony
Kojima said Sony was planning to cancel Physint. “As confirmed earlier through our official channels, in mid-June of this year, we unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios that they would cancel the PHYSINT project,” he posted on X.
“PHYSINT is an important project both to me personally and to KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS. Determined to keep the project alive, we have spent the last three months searching tirelessly for a new partner.”
“In the course of seeking advice and pursuing negotiations with people across many fields, we found in XBOX a partner with whom we share a common vision for the future, and we have decided to team up with them once again.”
Kojima added the following remark: “Please rest assured that development of PHYSINT, our genre-defining action-espionage title, is ongoing and will continue moving forward.”
What Xbox Says
Earlier this year, Asha Sharma stepped into the role of Xbox CEO when Phil Spencer retired. As part of her plan to reset and rebuild the company, she has made Kojima a top priority, along with bringing console exclusives back to the platform.
“Creators have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life,” Sharma said. “We’re honored that Kojima-san has chosen Xbox to work with Kojima Productions on Physint. His ambition to challenge conventions reflects the kind of creativity we want to support at Xbox.”
The changes at Sharma’s company have come with real cost. Many employees have been let go, several studios have become independent, and numerous video game projects have been called off. In July, IGN reported that OD was safe from those cuts.
PlayStation Responds
The company’s own statement was released, and “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to step away from collaborating with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS on its project PHYSINT,” it posted.
The numbers that appear throughout this text, such as “We continue to have great admiration for Hideo Kojima’s vision for the game. Our relationship remains strong after three decades of industry-leading, genre-defining creative cooperation, and we look forward to continued close collaboration with Hideo Kojima and his award-winning independent studio in the future.”, refer to source material cited elsewhere. Each number points back to a specific reference, and no two numbers point to the same thing.
This is a big public relations win for Microsoft. It marks the second time a major game title has abandoned one first-party platform for another at this level, following Final Fantasy’s move from Nintendo to PlayStation during the PS1 era.
The Project’s History
When Physint was announced during the 2024 State of Play broadcast, PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst shook Kojima’s hand. “Today, I’m excited to announce that together, as part of the PlayStation and Kojima Productions partnership, Hideo’s going to take us on an exciting new adventure, one that I’ve been encouraging him to reinvent for years,” Hulst said.
He continued by saying that Sony would fully back the project using its latest innovations, adding that further details were still to come.
Kojima and Hulst walked off set at the close of the announcement. The camera then pulled back to show a Columbia Pictures sign, with the word ‘Physint’ beneath it. That studio is part of the Sony Group Corporation, which holds it through its Sony Pictures Entertainment subsidiary.
What Physint Actually Is
Physint is a working title, and details remain thin. “Of course, it is an interactive game,” Kojima said when it was announced, “but it is also a movie at the same time.”
“It is a completely new ‘Action Espionage’ for the next-generation. It will be created using cutting-edge technology and the best talents from around the world, both from film and video games.”
“Of course this is an interactive ‘game,’ but the look, story, theme, cast, acting, fashion, sound, etc… are all at the next level of ‘Digital Entertainment’ that could be called a ‘movie.'”
Kojima said last year that Physint was likely another 5-6 years out, which means the game is still a long way off. But work on it is picking up pace now, and this week, many fans became convinced that Batman actor Robert Pattinson will star in the game.
Who’s in the Cast
During a Kojima Productions 10th Anniversary event in Japan held in September 2025, Kojima spoke publicly for the final time about Physint. At that point, he described the project’s early stage, noting that development had only just begun. He explained that he was working alone on concepts, creating characters, and considering casting.
Kojima said the technology behind Physint is even more advanced than what powers his Death Stranding games and OD. He also revealed the main character through the first poster for the game.
Three actors have been confirmed for the cast:
- Charlee Fraser, who played Mary Jabassa in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- Don Lee, who played Gilgamesh in the Marvel movie Eternals
- Japanese actress Minami Hamabe, who played Noriko Ōishi in Godzilla Minus One
Before ending his Physint presentation, Kojima showed Hamabe in CG form, giving viewers a close look at just how realistic the game’s visuals are.
Physint comes after OD, which means Kojima’s next project ships ahead of it. The partnership between Kojima and Xbox goes beyond just those two game projects, extending into film and television as well.
Source: ign.com
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