‘Death Stranding’ Creator Hideo Kojima’s Upcoming ‘Physint’ Moves From PlayStation to Xbox as New Publisher - Variety
Xbox is expanding its partnership with video game industry legend Hideo Kojima. “PHYSINT is an important project both to me personally and to KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS. “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.” “This expands our relationship with Xbox beyond ‘OD,” Kojima said.
Xbox is expanding its partnership with video game industry legend Hideo Kojima.
The “Death Stranding” and “Metal Gear” creator has switched the publishing partner on his upcoming game “Physint” to Microsoft’s Xbox from its original home at Sony’s PlayStation, which decided to cancel the action-espionage project.
The news was shared via a blog post published by Xbox Wednesday, along with the reveal that this partnership will “extend beyond games, with Xbox and Kojima Productions collaborating across film and television to bring new stories to broader audiences.”
Xbox is already set to publish Kojima Productions’ next release, “OD,” a horror game made in collaboration with Jordan Peele, which does not yet have a launch date. The action-espionage game “Physint” is the Kojima title that’s up next after “OD” and it was previously set to be published by PlayStation. The shift of “Physint” to Xbox is particularly notable due to the long-standing relationship Kojima has had with PlayStation, including their collaboration on the “Death Stranding” franchise.
Kojima wrote in a statement on X that this move comes after PlayStation decided to scrap “Physint” back in June.
“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,” Kojima wrote. “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. Please rest assured that development of PHYSINT, our genre-defining action-espionage title, is ongoing and will continue moving forward.”
Per PlayStation’s own statement posted on X: “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to step away from collaborating with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS on its project PHYSINT. 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.”
News of Kojima’s partnership expansion with Xbox comes amid mounting discourse over PlayStation’s July announcement that it will cease production of physical discs for its games beginning with new titles releasing in 2028, but conversations between Kojima and Xbox have been ongoing since earlier in the year when new CEO Asha Sharma came on board to replace Phil Spencer.
Over the course of several months, Sharma and Kojima have had in-person meetings and ongoing discussions about his creative plans and ways they could work together across platforms, including IP development for TV and film.
“Creators have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life,” Xbox CEO Asha 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.”
“This expands our relationship with Xbox beyond ‘OD,” Kojima said. “As we move forward with the development of ‘Physint,’ we remain committed to redefining the action-espionage genre for players around the world.”
While the “Physint” news is sure to excite Kojima’s U.S.-based fans with Xbox consoles, Xbox’s expanded relationship with Kojima will also likely bolster the brand’s presence in Japan and other Asian markets, which have historically been a weaker point for Xbox.
No specific details were shared regarding what TV and film projects Xbox is plotting with Kojima as part of their expanded partnership, though “Death Stranding” is already being developed into a film at A24 and the game maker has expressed ambitions for more transmedia projects.
“Back in the day, movies and games were two different worlds. It was like analog vs digital. It didn’t mix well, like oil and water,” Kojima told Variety in a 2024 interview about his decision to sign with Hollywood talent agency WME. “Nowadays, movies are also digital, like being shot on digital cameras instead of film. The pre-production and post-production phases are digital, too. It’s even streamed digitally. There seems to be more understanding in the conversations I have with people in the filmmaking industry. That wasn’t always the case. Now, there are movies that use Unreal Engine to create their backgrounds and environments. They also use performance capture [PCap] like we do, so the technology is almost the same up to a certain point.”