To the shock of everyone, Kojima and Sony have Split, and Xbox Swoops In
Sony continues to shock the gaming world in recent months, first with its announcement signaling the end of physical, and now with it’s distancing from one of the pillars of the industry.
Both Playstation and Kojima spoke on the matter on Twitter (X).
What Happened Between Kojima, Sony, and Xbox?
Ai Summary
The big story is that Hideo Kojima’s upcoming game PHYSINT moved from Sony PlayStation to Xbox in September 2026.
Sony pulled out: PlayStation had originally partnered with Kojima Productions to fund and publish PHYSINT, a new espionage action game in the spirit of Metal Gear Solid. Sony reportedly became concerned about the game's rising budget, missed deadlines, and potential profitability.
Kojima was blindsided: Kojima said Sony informed his studio in June 2026 that it was canceling the project. His independent studio then spent months searching for another partner.
Xbox stepped in: Microsoft agreed to publish PHYSINT, expanding its existing partnership with Kojima on OD, his experimental horror game. Xbox is also exploring film and television opportunities with Kojima Productions. The bottom line: Kojima and Sony aren’t publicly feuding, but Sony’s decision pushed a major project into Xbox’s hands. Whether PHYSINT will also release on PlayStation remains unconfirmed.
By J. · September 12, 2026 · Fact-checked by the editorial team
Sources: [Kojima Statement] [Sony Statement]. The AI Summary Spotlight section was AI-generated. For this article, AI tools also assisted with headline brainstorming and feature image. All reporting, editorial judgments, and final copy were written and verified by the author.
