Physint: Sony drops the project, Xbox picks up Kojima - but why?
Fabian Lainé
In brief
Sony abandons Physint after three decades of partnership with Kojima Productions. Xbox takes over the project and expands it to film and television, marking a strategic turning point where the two giants no longer bet on the same creators.
Sony will ultimately not be publishing Physint. After three decades of nearly uninterrupted collaboration with Hideo Kojima, PlayStation Studios is withdrawing from the project, and Xbox Game Studios is taking over.
The announcement came via an official tweet from Sony Interactive Entertainment, which mentions a "difficult decision" while assuring that it retains "great admiration" for Kojima's vision and promising future collaboration. On the Xbox side, CEO Asha Sharma welcomed the Japanese studio's choice in a post on Xbox Wire, emphasizing the company's desire to support creators who "defy conventions". Kojima himself confirmed the deal, specifying that this partnership expands his relationship with Xbox beyond OD, his other ongoing project, and that the collaboration will also extend to film and television.
"Wait, are you guys serious? You're just abandoning me like that?!?"
After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to end our collaboration with Kojima Productions on its Physint project.
Sony Interactive Entertainment
A reversal that speaks volumes about Sony's strategy
The most interesting part lies in the timing. Kojima revealed that he received, in mid-June, a surprise notification from PlayStation Studios announcing the outright cancellation of the project. Three months of searching for a partner later, Xbox picks up the pieces. To learn more about this revelation and its context, head over to our dedicated article.
He doesn't seem to have taken this decision very well, Kojima-san...
This case illustrates a broader trend: Xbox is multiplying partnerships with prestigious third-party studios to bulk up its catalog, while Sony tightens its investments on its in-house franchises. For Kojima Productions, the stakes were high, with Physint presented as the studio's next major project since its announcement in January 2024. No platform or release date has been specified yet, but the game remains, according to Kojima, very much alive.
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Frequently asked questions
Why did Sony abandon Physint?
How long did Kojima spend seeking a new partner?
Will Physint actually release?
What is the connection between Physint and the OD project?
Key takeaways
- Sony notified Kojima Productions in mid-June of the outright cancellation of Physint, without warning
- Xbox accelerates its third-party offensive by acquiring a prestigious studio to bolster its day-one catalog
- Kojima spent three months seeking a new partner before finding a shared vision for the future with Xbox
- The project now extends to film and television, going beyond the scope of a video game alone
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