Kojima Moves Physint From PlayStation to Xbox — SkimNews
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- Hideo Kojima switched the publisher on 'Physint' from PlayStation to Xbox after PlayStation notified Kojima Productions in mid-June it would cancel the project, ending a three-decade publishing relationship that produced 'Metal Gear' and the 'Death Stranding' franchise.
- Kojima Productions spent three months searching for a new partner and found 'a common vision for the future' at Xbox, per Kojima's statement on X, adding that development of 'Physint' is 'ongoing and will continue moving forward.'
- PlayStation said in its own X statement that it 'stepped away' from Physint after 'careful consideration' but emphasized its relationship with Kojima 'remains strong' and it 'look[s] forward to continued close collaboration' with Kojima Productions.
- Xbox will also collaborate with Kojima Productions on TV and film projects, though no specific titles were announced; a separate 'Death Stranding' film is already in development at A24.
- Xbox is already set to publish Kojima's horror game 'OD,' a collaboration with filmmaker Jordan Peele that does not yet have a launch date.
- Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who took over from Phil Spencer earlier this year, has held in-person meetings with Kojima over several months that led to the expanded partnership, per the source.
- The expanded deal is expected to bolster Xbox's historically weaker presence in Japan and other Asian markets, where PlayStation and Nintendo have long dominated, the source notes.
Why it matters: After roughly 30 years of near-exclusive collaboration with PlayStation, Kojima's full pivot to Xbox — triggered by a single June cancellation — gives new CEO Asha Sharma a marquee Japanese creator and a potential foothold in the Japan and broader Asian console market, where Xbox has historically lagged far behind Sony and Nintendo.
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