Xbox Secures Kojima’s Physint Following PlayStation’s Withdrawal

Xbox is stepping in to publish Physint, the latest project from Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima, after PlayStation opted to cancel it. This surprising turn of events unfolded amid a series of announcements from PlayStation, Xbox, Kojima Productions, and Kojima himself. Sony, which previously published both Death Stranding titles from Kojima Productions, described the decision to part ways as a “difficult” one, while emphasizing that their “relationship remains strong.”

Kojima was more straightforward on his personal X account, revealing that Sony issued an unexpected cancellation notice back in June. He mentioned that the studio has been “searching tirelessly” for a new publishing partner over the past three months and expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with Xbox, stating they share a “common vision for the future.” This partnership is likely bolstered by their ongoing collaboration, with Xbox already set to publish Kojima Productions’ next game, OD.

“Creators have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life,” said Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. “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.” Securing a title like Physint aligns with Sharma’s commitment to focus on “our strongest franchises and biggest new ideas,” as outlined in a memo to Xbox staff earlier this summer.

The announcement from Xbox also hinted at a partnership that will “extend beyond games,” with plans for collaboration in film and television, although specific details were not disclosed. Kojima Productions first revealed intentions for TV and film projects back in 2021, which have led to two upcoming adaptations of Death Stranding: an animated spinoff titled Mosquito and a live-action version directed by the creator of Pig.

Kojima describes Physint as a “genre-defining action-espionage title,” raising hopes that it could serve as a spiritual successor to the Metal Gear series, though it’s not expected to release until at least 2030. OD, on the other hand, doesn’t have a release date yet but is anticipated to arrive sooner; it was announced in 2022, with a first trailer released around this time last year.