‘Death Stranding’ Creator Hideo Kojima’s Upcoming ‘Physint’ Moves From PlayStation to Xbox as New Publisher

Xbox is expanding its partnership with video game industry legend Hideo Kojima.

The “Death Stranding” and “Metal Gear” creator has switched the publishing partner on his upcoming game “Physint” to Microsoft’s Xbox from its original home at Sony’s PlayStation. The news was shared via a blog post published by Xbox Wednesday, along with the reveal that this partnership will “extend beyond games, with Xbox and Kojima Productions collaborating across film and television to bring new stories to broader audiences.”

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Xbox is set to publish Kojima Productions’ next release “O.D.,” a horror game made in collaboration with Jordan Peele, which does not yet have a launch date. “Physint” is the Kojima title up next after “OD,” and was previously set to be published by PlayStation. The title’s shift to Xbox is particularly notable due to the long-standing relationship Kojima has had with PlayStation, which he collaborated with on the “Death Stranding” franchise.

“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,” said Asha Sharma, XBOX CEO. 

“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,” said Hideo Kojima, Game Creator and Founder of KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS. 

Kojima’s partnership expansion with Xbox comes amid mounting discourse over PlayStation’s July announcement that it will cease production of physical discs for its games beginning with new titles releasing in 2028. However, Xbox’s conversations with Kojima about working together more go back to earlier in the year when new CEO Asha Sharma took over for Phil Spencer. Since then, Sharma and Kojima have had in-person meetings and ongoing discussions about his creative plans and ways they could work together across platforms, including IP development for TV and film.

Currently, Kojima’s “Death Stranding” is being developed into a film at A24 and the game maker has ambitions for more transmedia projects.

“Back in the day, movies and games were two different worlds. It was like analog vs digital. It didn’t mix well, like oil and water,” Kojima told Variety in a 2024 interview about his decision to sign with Hollywood talent agency WME. “Nowadays, movies are also digital, like being shot on digital cameras instead of film. The pre-production and post-production phases are digital, too. It’s even streamed digitally. There seems to be more understanding in the conversations I have with people in the filmmaking industry. That wasn’t always the case. Now, there are movies that use Unreal Engine to create their backgrounds and environments. They also use performance capture [PCap] like we do, so the technology is almost the same up to a certain point.”

While the “Physint” news is sure to excite Kojima’s U.S.-based fans with Xbox consoles, Xbox’s expanded relationship with Kojima will also likely bolster the brand’s presence in Japan and other Asian markets, which have historically been a weaker point for Xbox.