On September 9, PlayStation announced that it would “step away” from its partnership with Kojima Productions on Physint, only for Xbox to drop in and announce a new deal with the developer for the same project. Now, Kojima Productions’ head, Hideo Kojima, has shared a new official statement regarding PlayStation’s attempt to cancel Physint, offering more information on the game’s future under Xbox’s leadership.
PlayStation said, “We have made the difficult decision to step away from collaborating with Kojima Productions on its project Physint.” The game was originally revealed during a PlayStation State of Play event in 2024, and many believed it would be a PlayStation 6 exclusive title. At the time, Physint was introduced as a next-generation action espionage game that could blur the line between movies and games. It was also unofficially known as a spiritual successor to the renowned Kojima-created franchise Metal Gear.
Kojima Says PlayStation Canceled Physint in Mid-June
In a new official statement, Hideo Kojima said, “In mid-June of this year, we unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios that they would cancel the Physint project.” Kojima then explained that his studio did not want to let the project die and therefore immediately started looking for a new partner. Months later, Kojima Productions found people at Xbox with whom the studio “shares a common vision for the future.” In the end, Kojima assured fans that development of Physint continues and that it is indeed going to be a next-generation action-espionage game.
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Xbox’s new CEO, Asha Sharma, also issued a new statement, claiming that her company is proud to be working with Kojima Productions on a brand-new project and having the game made in Japan. Xbox has already secured OD, another Kojima game in development. Now, the company also has Physint under its brand, which some analysts are calling a big win for Asha Sharma and Microsoft. Details regarding Kojima Productions’ new partnership have yet to be unveiled, but considering that Hideo Kojima’s Japanese statement on Twitter is still referring to Physint as a next-gen game, it might eventually become an Xbox exclusive for Microsoft’s next generation of consoles.
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Image via PlayStation -
Image via Kojima Productions -
Image via Kojima Productions
Microsoft has already confirmed the existence of Project Helix, which is dubbed the company’s next-gen console-PC hybrid. However, Sony has not shared anything regarding its plans for the PlayStation 6, and many assume that the company won’t release new hardware anytime soon due to the ongoing component shortages worldwide.
Naturally, some people assume that Sony tried to kill Physint because it has decided to hold off on releasing the PS6, but these are merely speculations and haven’t been confirmed by any official sources. What is clear is that Xbox is ready to capitalize on opportunities like this to close the gap with its competitors. The company also recently revealed a disc-to-digital feature for Xbox that many considered a direct jab at Sony’s digital-only future. The PlayStation community doesn’t seem happy with the company’s announcement, with many calling it “Sony’s second-worst decision in 2026,” referencing its previous move to kill physical discs.