PlayStation Steps Away From Kojima's PHYSINT as Xbox Steps In to Publish

In one of the fastest back-to-back announcements in recent gaming history, PlayStation Studios confirmed on September 10 that it has stepped away from KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS' upcoming action-espionage title PHYSINT, and Xbox revealed moments later that it will take over as publisher.

PlayStation issued the first statement on its official channels, saying: "After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to step away from collaborating with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS on its project PHYSINT. We continue to have great admiration for Hideo Kojima's vision for the game. Our relationship remains strong after three decades of industry-leading, genre-defining creative cooperation, and we look forward to continued close collaboration with Hideo Kojima and his award-winning independent studio in the future."

Xbox responded within minutes on its official X account, writing: "We started with OD. Now, our partnership with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS is expanding to PHYSINT. We're just getting started." Xbox CEO Asha Sharma followed up that "PHYSINT and OD! Proud to build both with @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN in Japan. A big moment for XBOX."

According to the Xbox Wire announcement, PlayStation first told Kojima's studio in mid-June that it would not be publishing PHYSINT. "Determined to keep the project alive, we have spent the last three months searching tirelessly for a new partner," Kojima said. "In the course of seeking advice and pursuing negotiations with people across many fields, we found in Xbox a partner with whom we share a common vision for the future, and we have decided to team up with them once again."

The shift puts both PHYSINT and the previously announced OD under the Xbox umbrella. Xbox's official announcement frames it as a creative collaboration rather than a strict exclusivity play, noting that the two studios will also work together across film and television "to bring new stories to broader audiences." Kojima added that development on PHYSINT is "ongoing and will continue moving forward."

PHYSINT was first revealed during a PlayStation State of Play roughly three years ago as a genre-defining action-espionage project from the designer behind Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding. Specific release timing, platforms, and a fuller reveal for the Xbox-era version of the game have not yet been announced.

For PlayStation, the move unwinds a marquee piece of its previously announced exclusive lineup. For Xbox, it adds a second high-profile Kojima-led project to a slate that already includes OD and arrives as the platform holder, under CEO Asha Sharma, has been steering back toward exclusive, single-player-driven creative work after a stretch of multiplatform releases.