Kojima’s Physint finds a new home at Xbox
Microsoft’s Xbox will publish the Metal Gear Solid creator’s upcoming action-espionage game after Sony’s PlayStation cancelled the project in mid-June, ending a partnership the two companies had announced with considerable fanfare in early 2024. The switch was confirmed on September 9 in a quick run of posts from PlayStation, Xbox and Kojima himself. Analysts estimate Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has sold around 2 million copies, 1.6 million of them on PS5, while the first Death Stranding sold 5 million in a similar window. The timing is awkward for PlayStation, which is already facing criticism over its July decision to stop producing physical discs for new games from 2028. Physint is still early in development and is not expected before 2030.
In a post on X, he said the studio “unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios” that Physint was being cancelled. Calling it an important project to him personally, he said Kojima Productions spent the next three months searching for a new partner before settling on Xbox. “Please rest assured that development of PHYSINT, our genre-defining action-espionage title, is ongoing and will continue moving forward,” he wrote. Sony called it a “difficult decision to step away” and said it still admires Kojima’s vision for the game. It added that the relationship “remains strong after three decades,” a history that goes back to Metal Gear Solid’s PlayStation debut in 1998 and includes both Death Stranding games. “Creators have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life,” Sharma said, adding that Kojima’s ambition to challenge conventions reflects the creativity Xbox wants to support. Kojima said the deal “expands our relationship with Xbox beyond OD.
Hideo Kojima’s Physint has found a new home. It also makes Xbox the publisher of both upcoming Kojima Productions games, since the studio’s horror title OD, made with Jordan Peele , is already an Xbox project. Beyond games, the two companies will work together on film and television. Kojima was direct about how the deal ended. PlayStation’s statement was more measured. Talks between Kojima and Asha Sharma had been running since she replaced Phil Spencer as Xbox CEO in February. Over several months, the two held in-person meetings about games as well as TV and film projects. On X, she called the pairing of Physint and OD “a big moment for Xbox. Neither company has explained why PlayStation walked away. Sony had backed Physint prominently. PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst unveiled it alongside Kojima, and the reveal trailer closed on a Columbia Pictures logo, hinting at a film tie-in. Sales numbers may explain some of it. For now, Kojima has what he spent three months looking for: a publisher willing to see the game through. Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.
The partnership could also give Xbox a stronger footing in Japan and wider Asia, markets where the brand has historically struggled.