Xbox Takes Over Publishing of Kojima’s PHYSINT After PlayStation Steps Away

In a surprising turn of events, Hideo Kojima’s PHYSINT has moved from a PlayStation collaboration to an Xbox partnership. Kojima Productions and Xbox have confirmed that their existing relationship is expanding beyond OD, with Xbox now set to publish the upcoming action-espionage game.

PHYSINT finds a new partner at Xbox

The news comes after PlayStation Studios announced that it had decided to step away from its collaboration with Kojima Productions on PHYSINT. Sony said it still has “great admiration” for Kojima’s vision and stressed that its relationship with the developer remains strong.

In a post on X, Kojima revealed that PlayStation informed his studio in mid-June 2026 that it intended to cancel the project. Rather than abandon the game, Kojima Productions spent the following three months searching for a new partner, eventually reaching an agreement with Xbox.

For Xbox, the move adds another major Kojima project to its growing relationship with the Japanese developer. Here’s what Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma, said about the collab:

Creators have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life. We’re honored that Kojima-san has chosen XBOX to work with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS on PHYSINT. His ambition to challenge conventions reflects the kind of creativity we want to support at XBOX.

Hideo Kojima, Game Creator and Founder of KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS, also shsred bis thoughts about the partership:

This expands our relationship with XBOX beyond OD. As we move forward with the development of PHYSINT, we remain committed to redefining the action-espionage genre for players around the world.

A major shift for Kojima’s next game

PHYSINT was originally revealed as Kojima Productions’ return to the action-espionage genre and was closely associated with PlayStation. The sudden change is therefore a significant shift, given Sony’s long-running relationship with Kojima.

Not to forget, the two companies are already working together on OD, and Xbox says the partnership will now also extend into film and television, suggesting the collaboration could expand beyond game publishing. Moreover, Xbox has confirmed that it will share updates on the project as the development progresses.