Kojima Productions on Sunday asked players to treat recent reporting on why its upcoming action-espionage game Physint moved from PlayStation to Xbox “with a dose of scepticism,” saying none of the claims came from any official or on-the-record source.

In a statement posted to the studio’s English-language X account (@KojiPro2015_EN), the developer said it normally would not comment on “unsubstantiated speculation,” but that aspersions about its relationship with PlayStation, the commercial performance of the Death Stranding franchise, and production planning for Physint had reached fans, creative partners, and longtime colleagues.

“None of the claims written came from any official or on-the-record source and as such we encourage you to take them with a dose of scepticism,” the studio wrote, according to the full statement carried by Video Games Chronicle (published Sept. 20, 2026, 12:35 p.m.).

At the same time, Kojima Productions did not soft-pedal how serious the publisher switch was. “Make no mistake, this was a serious situation for the studio with a range of potentially significant implications,” the statement continued. It then offered a three-part reassurance: the studio “is in a healthy, profitable state,” development for Physint “continues to move forward with XBOX,” and “our relationship with PlayStation remains strong.”

GameRant, also reporting Sunday, framed the note as a pushback against online rumors about the PlayStation split, Death Stranding sales, and studio profitability — while noting the studio still called the cancellation episode a serious situation with significant implications.

How Physint got here

Last week, Kojima Productions announced it was moving Physint production to Xbox after PlayStation tried to cancel the project. In an earlier official statement, Hideo Kojima said the studio “unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios” in mid-June that they would cancel Physint, spent roughly three months hunting a new partner, and found in Xbox a partner with a shared vision — with development still ongoing.

That publisher flip was followed by Bloomberg-style reporting — summarized by VGC — that alleged PlayStation’s cancellation push was tied in part to Death Stranding games not meeting Sony revenue expectations, plus claims that Physint had missed deadlines and was on track to run well over budget years from release, attributed to unnamed people said to be familiar with the project. Sunday’s studio note does not name that report, but urges fans not to take such claims at face value because they lacked official, on-the-record sourcing.

What Sunday’s statement does settle, in the studio’s own words: Kojima Productions says it is profitable and healthy, Physint is still in active development under Xbox, and it wants the public record to show a “strong” ongoing relationship with PlayStation — even after a mid-year cancellation notice that forced a frantic publisher hunt.

Sources