Kojima Productions Shifts 'Physint' to Xbox After Sony Pulled Funding for 200-Staff Studio
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 20
Kojima Productions Shifts 'Physint' to Xbox After Sony Pulled Funding for 200-Staff Studio
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 20
Summary
Xbox has taken over publishing for “Physint” after Sony abruptly ended funding in June, a move Hideo Kojima said threatened the survival of his nearly 200-person independent studio.
Kojima said Sony gave no reason for the cancellation, though Bloomberg earlier reported concerns over budget, missed deadlines, profitability and the game’s lack of PlayStation exclusivity.
No staff were cut after the split: Kojima reassigned employees to Microsoft-backed horror game “OD” while keeping a small team on “Physint,” which already has storyboards, 3D models and cast scans including Bill Skarsgard.
The project had been announced with PlayStation in January 2024 after Kojima revived his return to espionage games following a serious illness in 2020 and talks with then-Sony chief Jim Ryan.
Kojima said the studio remains profitable and its relationship with PlayStation is still strong, but he framed the rescue of “Physint” as crucial both for his company’s 10th anniversary and for confidence in independent game studios.