Hideo Kojima's next-gen action-espionage original Physint is no longer a PlayStation project. On Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, Kojima Productions confirmed that Microsoft's Xbox will publish the game after PlayStation Studios canceled the collaboration in mid-June — leaving the studio roughly three months to find a new partner while development kept going.

Physint was announced in 2024 with PlayStation as a Metal Gear–adjacent tactical espionage original from the Death Stranding creator's independent studio. That platform home is over. In a statement posted Thursday, Kojima said the studio "unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios that they would cancel the Physint project" in mid-June, called the title "an important project both to me personally and to Kojima Productions," and described months of talks across fields before settling on Xbox as a partner with a "common vision for the future."

"Please rest assured that development of Physint, our genre-defining action-espionage title, is ongoing and will continue moving forward."

— Hideo Kojima, via X (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN), Sept. 10, 2026

PlayStation confirmed the split in its own X post the same day, without a detailed reason for walking away:

"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."

— PlayStation (@PlayStation), Sept. 10, 2026

The company added that its relationship with Kojima "remains strong after three decades" of collaboration and that it looks forward to working with him and his studio again. Sony has not published a fuller explanation on the official PlayStation Blog.

Xbox moved fast. The official Xbox account posted that the partnership that began with OD is expanding to Physint — "We're just getting started." Xbox CEO Asha Sharma followed up on X:

"Physint and OD! Proud to build both with @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN in Japan. A big moment for Xbox."

— Asha Sharma (@asha_shar), Sept. 10, 2026

In a separate Xbox Wire-style statement reported across industry outlets, Sharma said creators "have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life" and that Xbox was "honored" Kojima chose the platform for Physint. Kojima, in turn, said the deal "expands our relationship with Xbox beyond OD" and that the studio remains "committed to redefining the action-espionage genre for players around the world." Coverage also notes the broader relationship is expected to stretch into film and television collaborations — still light on specifics.

That leaves Xbox holding both of Kojima Productions' currently spotlighted new games: the Jordan Peele–linked horror project OD, already under Microsoft, and now Physint. Neither title has a firm public release date. Wccftech, citing Kojima's May 2025 comments, places Physint on a roughly five-to-six-year runway from that point — industry speculation around ~2030 — but Thursday's announcements did not lock a ship window or confirm exclusivity terms beyond Xbox as publisher.

The episode is a rare public handoff of a major auteur AAA between the two console giants: one platform cancels mid-development, the rival picks up the bill, and the creator keeps the IP alive by shopping for terms. For players, the immediate fact is simpler — Physint is still in development, just under a different publisher as of Sept. 10, 2026.

Sources