Sony was actually supposed to exclusively publish the next espionage game from *Metal Gear* creator Hideo Kojima. After the PlayStation group surprisingly dropped the game, Kojima has now announced a partnership with Xbox.
The history of Hideo Kojima’s spy series *Metal Gear Solid* and Sony’s PlayStation console are inextricably linked. Several installments in the series were first released on the PlayStation and became massive hits on the Japanese home console.
That’s why it wasn’t really surprising when Kojima announced in early 2024 that he would be releasing his next spy-genre game, *Physint*, in collaboration with Sony.& nbsp;However, this publishing partnership has now surprisingly fallen through—Kojima has found a new home for his game with Xbox, of all places, PlayStation’s most powerful competitor.
Kojima:The split came unexpectedly
The publisher switch was announced last Wednesday, when Xboxannounced on the company’s official blog that it would be taking over the publishing rights for Physint. Shortly thereafter, PlayStation and Kojima himself also commented on the decision on social media.
While the Sony subsidiary described the splitin a statement on Twitteras a mutual decision, the creative mind behind Death Stranding described the situation quite differently. According to him, PlayStation informed him and his team in mid-June suddenly and unexpectedly
of the termination of the partnership. He then spoke with various partners to find a new publisher for Physint:
Determined to keep the project alive, we have spent the last three months tirelessly searching for a new partner. In the course of our negotiations […] we found a partner in Xbox with whom we share a common vision for the future, and we have decided to work with them again.
Rest assured that development of PHYSINT, our genre-defining action-espionage title, is continuing and will be driven forward in the future.
– Hideo Kojima (CEO, Kojima Productions)
Gamers Take Aim at Sony
It quickly became clear to the community who was to blame for the breakdown of the partnership between PlayStation and Kojima Productions. A large portion of the gaming community is already unhappy with Sony due to the recently announced discontinuation of physical game discs.Online, they’re showering the company with scorn and harsh criticism.
Many users are also wondering who at PlayStation could have made such a short-sighted decision, since, in the opinion of many fans, a spiritual successor to Metal Gear would be a guaranteed hit for Sony. Twitter user @ MightyKeefwrites to Sony:Dude, what the hell are you guys doing?
Below, we’ve included even more reactions from the community:
PlayStation hired the Metal Gear guy so he could create a spiritual successor to Metal Gear, and then fired him when he started making a spiritual successor to Metal Gear. Masterful gambit
— PSF Sierra (@slothsaretight3) September 10, 2026
A COMPANY *bang bang* A BETRAYAL *bang bang* AN AUTEUR *bang bang* A FUMBLE *bang bang* pic.twitter.com/ZL7FZUXZ73
— Diamond Dogs HR (@excruuciate) September 10, 2026
PlayStation is apparently canceling anything that starts with “Phys”..
— Mav (@FunSpeculation) September 10, 2026
Breaking News: PlayStation has announced it is stepping away from its collaboration with Hideo Kojima on PHYSINT. pic.twitter.com/nTcIRHzLgZ
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) September 10, 2026
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. PHYSINT is an important project both to me personally and to KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS. Determined to keep… pic.twitter.com/rQqhxAnb7N
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) September 10, 2026
In the Best Neighborhood
Several fans also point out that therelationship between the two companies has now&n/strong>drastically deteriorated.
Well. This is awkward now pic.twitter.com/sWrCH9rkuX
— Ch4rl13 (@milktst) September 10, 2026
In fact, the poor sales figures for Death Standing 2 were likely the deciding factor for Sony.& nbsp;According to expert estimatesthe gameis said to have soldonly 2 million copies—significantly fewer than the Japanese company had hoped for. Its immediate predecessor had sold around 5 million copies.
However, Sony isn’t the first business partner to give Kojima the boot. In 2015, Kojima left his former employer, Konami, after falling out with the company’s management over what he considered the company’s excessive focus on mobile gaming and the cancellation of his Silent Hill game. The development genius also enjoys a reputation as an eccentric due to his own social media presence online.
The newly formedpartnership with Xbox is expected to extend far beyond the publishing of *Physint*: Microsoft’s gaming division will reportedly also handle the release ofKojima’s upcoming horror game *OD*; both companies also plan to collaborate on the development of new film and TV formats in the future.
Xbox is likely seeking to strengthen its position in the Asian market, where the American company has traditionally been weaker than its competitor Sony, which is firmly rooted in Japan.
What do you think of the split between Kojima and PlayStation? Are you excited about *Physint* and *OD*? Let us know in the comments!
