New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has made a lot of big moves since taking over for Phil Spencer in the role, one of which was signing Hideo Kojima’s new spy-thriller game, Physint, after Sony walked away from it.
According to The New York Times, Xbox’s agreement with Kojima was “substantially below what Xbox would typically spend to develop a premium game.” What exactly would be typical, however, is unknown, because game studios are incredibly secretive about budgets.
The money figures for Physint have been a point of contention, with unconfirmed reports that Physint’s budget at Sony was $400 million. This has never been confirmed, but it was also reported that one of the reasons Sony opted to drop Kojima and Physint was that the game was over budget and late.
Windows Central’s Jez Corden said he was told by first-hand sources with “direct knowledge of the contracts” for Physint at Xbox that the real number is “far lower.” He said the deal between Xbox and Kojima amounts to only a “fraction” of the reported figure.
The Game Business reporter Chris Dring, who originated the $400 million rumor, said he was only speculating, and the internet did what the internet does. He subsequently stated that he understands that Xbox is paying “far, far less,” and “possibly even below $200 million.”
Xbox’s deal with Kojima for Physint also covers film and TV adaptations. Physint stars Bill Skarsgard as its lead, along with Charlee Fraser, Don Lee, and Minami Hamabe. The game doesn’t have a release date or any footage as of yet. Kojima believes Physint could become his most commercial game yet.
Kojima said he got the idea for Physint in part due to the overwhelming fan demand for another Metal Gear game. He no longer works at Konami and couldn’t make a new Metal Gear, but the interest from fans inspired him to make a “new action espionage game” that became Physint.
Sony originally announced that it would publish Physint, but the company told Kojima over Zoom that it was terminating the deal. Kojima’s previous game franchise with Sony, Death Stranding, reportedly barely broke even.
Sharma also briefly discussed Xbox’s relationship with PlayStation, saying the two companies currently work together and that will continue under her leadership.
“Competition and collaboration can coexist,” she said.
Physint is not the only Kojima game that Xbox is publishing, as the company is also partnered with the studio for the horror game OD.
