PHYSINT moves forward with Xbox after PlayStation exits its partnership with Kojima Productions. Find out what this could mean for Kojima’s upcoming action-espionage game.
PlayStation Leaves PHYSINT Partnership, Xbox Expands Collab With Kojima Productions
PHYSINT Was Supposed to Be Cancelled in Mid-June, According to Kojima
Kojima Productions’ PHYSINT is moving forward with Xbox after PlayStation stepped away from its collaboration on Hideo Kojima’s upcoming action-espionage game. PlayStation announced on September 10 that they had made the "difficult decision" to end its collaboration with Kojima Productions after "careful consideration." They did, though, mention that they continue to have "great admiration" for Kojima’s vision and look forward to working with them again in the future.
Kojima later revealed that PlayStation had notified Kojima Productions in mid-June that they would cancel PHYSINT. According to Kojima, the project was important to both himself and his studio, which spent the next three months looking for a new partner to keep it alive. The studio ultimately found that partner in Xbox, with Kojima saying the two companies "share a common vision for the future." He confirmed that development is ongoing and asked fans to rest assured that PHYSINT will continue moving forward as a "genre-defining action-espionage title."
Similarly, Xbox announced they had expanded their existing partnership with Kojima Productions to publish PHYSINT. The companies are already partnering on OD, the horror game announced in 2022 as an Xbox project that uses Microsoft’s cloud technology. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said the company was &qout;honored" that Kojima had chosen Xbox to work with on PHYSINT. Kojima said this agreement expands their partnership "beyond OD" as development of PHYSINT continues.
Xbox said its relationship with Kojima Productions will include collaboration across film and television, with the companies intending to "bring new stories to broader audiences." Details about the action-espionage title’s release date and platforms, though, remain undisclosed.
PHYSINT May Become an Xbox Exclusive
Imagae from Death Stranding 2 (2025)
The announcement has already produced a strong reaction across social media, with much of the early discussion focused on PlayStation’s decision to leave the project. Users question why the company would walk away from a Kojima project after working with them for so long, particularly with Death Stranding and Death Stranding 2. Others sighed in relief that PHYSINT remains in development.
Some commenters have speculated about factors such as development costs and the performance of Kojima Productions’ previous games, though neither PlayStation nor Kojima has provided a reason for the decision.
The change, however, raises a question about whether PHYSINT would become an Xbox console exclusive, particularly because Xbox has recently signaled a focus on exclusives. That possibility remains unconfirmed. However, Xbox said in June that Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution would be Xbox console exclusives and described the move as part of the "return of XBOX." Both games are confirmed to be permanently tied to Xbox.
Xbox’s leadership has already said in April that the company would reevaluate its approach to exclusivity, and a June internal update said a "reliable pipeline of first- and third-party exclusives" was critical to their success. At the same time, Xbox specifically stated that games already announced for multiplatform release would retain those plans.
There is no official statement placing PHYSINT in either category, so the game’s platforms cannot be determined until the entities involved say anything.
For now, though, the clearest development is that PHYSINT has survived the end of its PlayStation partnership and will continue under Xbox. Players can rest easy knowing that Kojima’s spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid is still in the works.
Source:
PlayStation on X | An Update From PlayStation Studios Regarding PHYSINT
Hideo Kojima on X | Hideo Kojima Regarding PHYSINT’s Move to Xbox From PlayStation
Xbox Wire | XBOX and KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS Expand Partnership to Publish PHYSINT
Game Developer | Xbox console exclusives are returning on a 'case-by-case' basis
