Hideo Kojima’s next action-espionage game has taken an unexpected turn. PHYSINT, which was originally announced as a PlayStation project, will now be published by Xbox after Sony decided to cancel its collaboration with Kojima Productions.
The decision came in June, when PlayStation Studios informed Kojima Productions that it was ending its involvement in the project. Kojima described the decision as unexpected and said his studio then began looking for another partner to keep PHYSINT alive.
Three months later, it found one. Xbox has agreed to publish PHYSINT, adding the game to its existing relationship with Kojima Productions. The two sides are already working together on OD, the horror game being developed by Kojima Productions with filmmaker Jordan Peele.
PHYSINT was announced during a PlayStation presentation in 2024 as a new action-espionage game from Kojima. The project was particularly significant because it marked Kojima’s return to the genre after his work on Metal Gear.
The original announcement also made it clear that Kojima wanted PHYSINT to sit somewhere between a game and a movie. That vision now fits closely with Xbox’s plans for its relationship with Kojima Productions.
Xbox and Kojima Productions are not limiting their new agreement to video games. The partnership will also cover film and television projects. That is an important part of the deal because Kojima has been expanding his work outside traditional game development. Kojima Productions is already working with A24 on a film adaptation of Death Stranding, while Kojima has been building relationships within Hollywood.
PHYSINT itself was designed with a strong cinematic focus, so Xbox’s involvement could give Kojima Productions more room to develop that idea across different forms of entertainment.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma welcomed the partnership and said the company was honored to work with Kojima Productions. The announcement also positions the relationship as a broader creative partnership rather than simply a publishing deal for one game.
Sony has not explained why it decided to leave the project.
PlayStation described the decision as difficult and said it came after careful consideration. The company also stressed that its relationship with Kojima and Kojima Productions remains intact after decades of collaboration.
Kojima’s account suggests, however, that the decision was not mutual. His studio was caught off guard and had to spend the following months looking for a new publisher.
That makes the change particularly significant. PHYSINT was not a small experimental project. It was announced as one of Kojima Productions’ major upcoming games and represented Kojima’s return to a genre closely associated with his career.
The move to Xbox also raises questions about where PHYSINT will eventually be released. The game was originally announced as a PlayStation project, but Xbox is now its publisher. Neither Xbox nor Kojima Productions has confirmed the final platforms or a release date yet.
