Xbox is expanding its partnership with video game industry legend Hideo Kojima. The creator of “Death Stranding” and “Metal Gear” changed the publishing partner of his upcoming game “Physint” to Microsoft’s Xbox from its original home on Sony’s PlayStation, which decided to cancel the action-espionage project. The news was shared via a blog post published by Xbox on Wednesday, along with the revelation that this partnership “will extend beyond gaming, with Xbox and Kojima Productions collaborating across film and television to bring new stories to broader audiences.” Xbox is now ready to publish the next release from Kojima Productions, “OD”, a horror game made in collaboration with Jordan Peele, which does not yet have a release date. The spy action game “Physint” is Kojima’s follow-up title to “OD” and was previously scheduled to be published by PlayStation. The move from “Physint” to Xbox is particularly notable given 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 remove “Physint” in June. “As previously confirmed through our official channels, in mid-June of this year, we unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios that they would be canceling the PHYSINT project,” Kojima wrote. “PHYSINT is an important project for both me personally and KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS. Determined to keep the project alive, we have spent the last three months tirelessly searching for a new partner. In the course of seeking advice and negotiations with people from many fields, we found in XBOX a partner with whom we share a common vision for the future, and we have decided to partner with them once again. Rest assured that the development of PHYSINT, our defining action-espionage title the genre, it is ongoing and we will continue to move forward.” According to PlayStation’s own statement posted on News of Kojima’s expanded partnership with Xbox comes amid growing talk over PlayStation’s announcement in July that it will stop producing physical discs for its games starting with the release of new titles in 2028, but talks between Kojima and Xbox have been ongoing since the beginning of the year, when new CEO Asha Sharma joined to replace Phil Spencer. Over the course of several months, Sharma and Kojima have had in-person meetings and ongoing discussions about their creative plans and ways they could work together across platforms, including developing intellectual property for television and film. “Creators have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life,” said Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. “We are honored that Kojima-san has chosen Xbox to work with Kojima Productions on ‘Physint’. His ambition to challenge convention reflects the type of creativity we want to support on Xbox.” “This expands our relationship with Xbox beyond ‘OD,” Kojima said. “As we move forward in the development of ‘Physint,’ we remain committed to redefining the action-espionage genre for gamers around the world.” While the “Physint” news is sure to excite Kojima fans in the US about 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 weak spot for Xbox. No specific details were shared about the film and TV projects Xbox is plotting with Kojima as part of their expanded partnership, although “Death Stranding” is already being developed into a film at A24 and the game’s creator has expressed ambitions for more transmedia projects. “Back then, movies and games were two different worlds. It was like analog versus digital. They 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, as if they were shot with digital cameras instead of film. The pre-production and post-production phases are also digital. It is even transmitted digitally. There seems to be more understanding in the conversations I have with people in the film industry. It wasn’t always like this. Now, there are films that use Unreal Engine to create their backgrounds and environments. They also use performance capture [PCap] “The way we do it, the technology is almost the same to some extent.”
