Xbox will publish Physint, Hideo Kojima's upcoming action-espionage game, after Sony cancelled its publishing deal in an unexpected notice in June. The swap came in a flurry of announcements from PlayStation, Xbox, Kojima Productions, and Kojima himself.
Kojima posted on his personal X account that Sony gave the studio an unexpected cancellation notice in June and that it had spent three months searching for a new publishing partner. He called Xbox 'a partner with whom we share a common vision for the future.' Sony framed the move as a 'difficult decision to step away from collaborating with Kojima Productions,' while insisting their 'relationship remains strong.'
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said creators 'have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life,' and called it an honor to work with Kojima Productions. The Xbox announcement also notes the relationship will 'extend beyond games,' with plans across film and television — Kojima Productions first announced TV and film plans in 2021, resulting in two upcoming Death Stranding adaptations: an animated spinoff called Mosquito and a live action adaptation from the director of Pig.
Physint is described by Kojima as a 'genre-defining action-espionage title,' prompting hopes it will serve as a spiritual successor to Metal Gear. It is not expected to launch until at least 2030. OD, the other Kojima Productions game for Xbox, was announced in 2022 and should arrive sooner.
The move is a significant blow to Sony, which published both Death Stranding games and had positioned Kojima as one of its marquee third-party partners.
