Xbox to publish Kojima's Physint after Sony steps away

Sony has stepped away from funding Hideo Kojima's action-espionage game Physint, and Xbox has taken over publishing duties. Kojima says he holds no grudge.

The switch became public on 9 September 2026, when Xbox announced an expanded partnership with Kojima Productions to publish PHYSINT. Xbox The in-development title — a spy game built around stealth and infiltration — had first been revealed as a PlayStation project alongside a collaboration with Sony's Columbia Pictures studios.

Kojima described Sony's exit in an interview with IGN reported on 20 September 2026. Eurogamer He said Sony told him on a call that it could no longer fund development of Physint. He said he does not remember much of that meeting. His colleagues probably do not remember either, he added.

The news hit hard. Kojima said he thought Physint was safe despite wider studio closures and job losses across the games industry. After the call, he feared his studio — which is marking its 10th anniversary — might collapse.

That history runs deep. Kojima said he has worked with Sony for about 30 years and was close with former executives Ken Kutaragi and Kaz Hirai, but the relationship is not like that recently. Still, he said he loves Sony and has no bad feelings against them because it is a tough time in the game industry.

He turned instead to Xbox. Kojima Productions already had a connection with Xbox through work on OD, another project in development with the company. Kojima said he approached Xbox about Physint, noting that Xbox could support the studio technically. The response was instant. Xbox's first reaction to his pitch was: "This pitch was fantastic. Never seen a pitch like this!"

Kojima had already signalled how much was at stake. In a post on 9 September 2026, he called PHYSINT an important project both to him personally and to KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS, and said he was determined to keep it alive. Hideo Kojima

For fans, this means the wait continues but the project survives. No release date or platform list has been confirmed.

Kojima Productions has also urged caution around outside chatter. In a statement, the studio said claims about its PlayStation relationship, the commercial performance of the Death Stranding franchise, and Physint production planning and investment came from no official or on-the-record source and should be treated with scepticism.