In a shock move, Sony has dropped support for Hideo Kojima’s next project, ‘PHYSINT’, with the publisher cutting ties with the iconic Japanese video game auteur.
Announced on Sony’s social media, the company wrote: “An update from PlayStation Studios: After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to step away from collaborating with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS on its project PHYSINT. We continue to have great admiration for Hideo Kojima’s vision for the game.”
The company went on to claim that it retains a strong relationship with Kojima, saying: “Our relationship remains strong after three decades of industry-leading, genre-defining creative cooperation, and we look forward to continued close collaboration with Hideo Kojima and his award-winning independent studio in the future.”
However, Kojima was quick to present his own version of events. On his own X profile, he writes: “As confirmed earlier through our official channels, in mid-June of this year, we unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios that they would cancel the PHYSINT project.”
This marks the end of a 30-year relationship with Kojima first publishing his beloved Metal Gear Solid game first on the PlayStation 1 back in 1998.
However, hope is not lost for Kojima as PlayStation’s biggest rival – Xbox – will now pick up the bill for Kojima’s next game.
“Determined to keep the project alive, we have spent the last three months searching tirelessly for a new partner. In the course of seeking advice and pursuing negotiations with people across many fields, we found in XBOX a partner with whom we share a common vision for the future, and we have decided to team up with them once again.
“Please rest assured that development of PHYSINT, our genre-defining action-espionage title, is ongoing and will continue moving forward.”
PHSYINT is set to be a new stealth action game in a similar vein to Metal Gear Solid. Not much is known about the project right now, although fans are speculating that Robert Pattinson could star in it.
It’s unclear why Sony has decided to cut ties with Kojima, especially after such a strong working relationship with the developer in the past. Kojima is also responsible for bringing Death Stranding 1 and 2 to the PlayStation 4 and 5 as timed exclusives.
It’s another PR blunder in what appears to be a series of PR blunders for Sony as fans are still reeling from its decision to stop producing physical games after January 2028. This is something that Kojima himself has warned against the idea of, posting back in 2021: “Eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative. Whenever there is a major change or accident in the world, in a country, in a government, in an idea, in a trend, access to it may suddenly be cut off.”
