Physint switches sides: Xbox takes over publishing Hideo Kojima's new game

After PlayStation ended its partnership with Kojima Productions on Physint, Xbox stepped in to publish the espionage game and expanded its collaboration with the studio beyond games.

Xbox and Kojima Productions this week announced an expanded partnership to publish Physint, the new action-espionage game created by Hideo Kojima. The announcement confirms a significant shift for the project, which had originally been unveiled with PlayStation as its publishing partner.

According to reporting from Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, PlayStation Studios informed Kojima's studio in mid-June that it was withdrawing from the project. Cited factors reportedly included Physint's ballooning budget, missed development milestones, and Sony's concerns over the commercial performance of Death Stranding and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, both of which reportedly fell short of the publisher's sales expectations.

After PlayStation's exit, Kojima spent roughly three months searching for a new partner to keep the project, which had already been in development for years, moving forward. Xbox's confirmation as the new publisher ends that period of uncertainty and secures Physint's future under a new banner.

In an official statement, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said creators have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life, and that the company is honored Kojima chose Xbox to continue the project. Kojima, for his part, noted that the deal expands his studio's existing relationship with Xbox, which also publishes the previously announced game OD.

The move underscores Xbox's strategy of courting high-profile productions from renowned creators for its catalog, even on competing platforms, since Xbox-published titles typically also arrive on PC. According to the announcement, the collaboration between Kojima Productions and Xbox is also expected to extend into film and television projects.

Physint still has no confirmed release date, and Kojima Productions has not detailed how the change in publisher affects the game's development timeline. Further details about the production are now expected to surface at upcoming industry events.