Sony Ended Physint Funding, Kojima Says

Hideo Kojima says Sony told him in June that it could no longer fund development of Physint, the spiritual successor to the Metal Gear Solid series. Sony had asked him to join a Zoom call while he was working on Physint and the Xbox game OD. Kojima Productions was established as an independent studio in December 2015, and he said the loss of one of its two projects put the company’s staff and cash flow under pressure. The studio had about 200 people, with actors already being scanned and artists being approached for Physint.

From Sony to Xbox

Kojima responded by approaching Microsoft and Xbox leader Asha Sharma, eventually convincing them to take up the project. Development did not stop, although the Physint team became smaller and some staff moved to OD. Kojima said a small group continued work on the game’s concept, story, visuals, design and technology experiments, including enemy AI. The project is therefore still moving, but it is not yet a fully staffed production ready to ship. Kojima Productions has also described the new arrangement in its Xbox partnership announcement.

For players, the immediate result is a change in who is backing Physint, not a release plan. The material provides no release date, price, named cast or confirmed platform list. A third-party report says the game may not release on PlayStation, but that remains unconfirmed. Kojima Productions says it is healthy and profitable, that development continues with Xbox, and that its relationship with PlayStation remains strong. That leaves the game alive, but its eventual route to players is still undefined.