Renowned video game director Hideo Kojima’s next project, Physint, which could be described as a spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid, will now be published by Xbox instead of Sony, Microsoft announced today. Xbox will continue to publish Kojima’s horror game OD (a spiritual successor of sorts to the never-finished PT) and the Kojima-Xbox partnership will expand beyond these two game projects to include film and television. “This expands our relationship with XBOX beyond OD. As we continue to develop PHYSINT, we remain committed to redefining the action-espionage genre for gamers around the world,” said Kojima. He also posted on X with details about how he reached the deal, saying (via a Grok translation from Japanese to English) that Sony was canceling Physint. “Previously, there was an official release of Kojipro, but suddenly, in mid-June this year, a notice came from SIE stating that they would ‘cancel the ‘PHYSINT’ project currently in production.” For me personally, and also for Kojipro, ‘PHYSINT’ is an important project and to continue it at all costs, we have been looking for a ‘new partner’ for these last three months. As we seek advice from people in various fields and move forward in negotiations, we have decided to once again partner with XBOX as a partner with whom we can share a mutual “vision for the future.” Next-gen ‘spy action’ game ‘PHYSINT’ continues production, so don’t worry.” Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who replaced the retiring Phil Spencer earlier this year, has made Kojima a priority in her quest to reset and rebuild Xbox, including the return of console exclusives starting with Gears of War: E-Day this year and continuing with Clockwork Revolution in 2027. In terms of Kojima Productions projects, OD will be released Before Physint. In July, IGN reported that OD was safe from Sharma’s big “reset” of the Xbox business, which has seen thousands of employees lose their jobs, several studios become independent, and several video game projects cancelled. “Creators have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life,” Sharma said. “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 at Xbox.” When Physint was announced, it had strong backing from Sony. During the 2024 State of Play broadcast, PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst shook Kojima’s hand and said: “Today, I’m excited to announce that together, as part of the partnership between PlayStation and Kojima Productions, Hideo will take us on an exciting new adventure, one that I’ve been encouraging him to reinvent. for years.” Hulst continued: “We are all very excited about this project and will fully support it with the latest innovations Sony has to offer. More details to come.” Kojima and Hulst finished the announcement by walking off the set, the camera panning away from the building to reveal a Columbia Pictures sign with the word ‘Physint’ underneath. (Columbia Pictures is owned by Sony Group Corporation through its subsidiary, Sony Pictures Entertainment.) Every Kojima game review from IGN The move from PlayStation to Xbox is a major PR win for Microsoft, which has effectively stolen a Kojima project from Sony. The last time one first-party platform lost to another in this type AAA, and the only one I can think of, was when Final Fantasy jumped from Nintendo to PlayStation in the PS1 era. Physint is an interim title and we still don’t know much about it. “Of course, it’s an interactive game,” Kojima said when Physint was announced, “but it’s also a movie at the same time.” It will be created using cutting-edge technology and the best talent from around the world, both in film and video games. Of course, this is an interactive ‘game’, but the look, story, theme, cast, acting, fashion, sound, etc… are all on the next level of ‘Digital Entertainment’ that could be called a ‘movie.'” It may be some time before Physint comes out, as Kojima said last year that Physint was probably another 5 or 6 years away. But work on the game is ramping up. Just this week, many fans were convinced that that Batman actor Robert Pattinson will star in the game. Kojima last officially spoke about Physint in September 2025, during a Kojima Productions 10th anniversary event in Japan Speaking on stage during the event, Kojima said that development of Physint was just beginning and that he himself was working on concepts, creating characters and thinking about casting. The technology behind Physint was described as even more advanced than that powering the Death games. Stranding and Kojima’s OD (whose debut trailer was revealed on the show) Kojima teased the game’s main character via the first Physint poster, below. Image credit: Kojima Productions Kojima also confirmed that three actors will appear in Physint, each of whom delivered a video message expressing their excitement. is in the game, although we don’t know which character she plays. Also in the game are Don Lee, who played Gilgamesh in the Marvel film Eternals, and Japanese actress Minami Hamabe, who played Noriko Ōishi in Godzilla Minus One. Kojima ended his Physint segment with a shot of Hamabe in computer-generated form, showing how realistic the visuals are expected to be. We still don’t know what game engine Kojima Productions is using for Physint. TheStewartofNY/GC Images. Ryan McCaffrey Ryan McCaffrey is the Executive Previews Editor at IGN. He has worked in gaming media since 2002, and spent the first decade of his career at the official Xbox Magazine before joining IGN in 2012. He is the host of Podcast Unlocked and co-host of Next-Gen Console Watch. Ryan McCaffrey is the Executive Previews Editor at IGN and host of the weekly Xbox show. IGN, Unlocked Podcast, and co-host of Next-Gen Console Watch. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “ham Taylor,” not “pork roll.” Debate with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
