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Publisher History - Version 1 vs Version 2
Sep 12, 2026, 02:31 PM
Initial version (2026-09-12)
Sep 12, 2026, 02:32 PM
Updated internal link states after new pages were added (2026-09-12)
11PHYSINT changed publisher in September 2026, two and a half years after it was announced. It was a Sony Interactive Entertainment project from 31 January 2024 until mid-June 2026, spent roughly three months without a publishing partner, and has been an Xbox project since 9 September 2026.22This page records what each party said and when. It does not record why Sony Interactive Entertainment left, because no party has said. Explanations circulate; none of them rests on a statement by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Kojima Productions, or Xbox, and none is repeated here.44DatePartyWhat happened31 January 2024Sony Interactive Entertainment and Kojima ProductionsPHYSINT announced during a PlayStation State of Play broadcastMid-June 2026PlayStation StudiosNotified Kojima Productions that it would cancel the projectJune to September 2026Kojima ProductionsSearched for a new publishing partner9 September 2026XboxAnnounced that it will publish PHYSINT10 September 2026 BSTKojima ProductionsPublished its own confirmation and its account of the transition10 September 2026Sony Interactive EntertainmentConfirmed that PlayStation Studios had stepped away66The Sony Arrangement, 2024 to 202677PHYSINT was announced on 31 January 2024 during a PlayStation State of Play broadcast as a Sony Interactive Entertainment project. Hermen Hulst, then Head of PlayStation Studios, appeared in a short message alongside Hideo Kojima. Kojima framed the arrangement around a long shared history:99"We have extensive experience with Sony, having grown the espionage genre together for almost 30 years. Also, Sony not only does games, but also music and movies. It will definitely be a strong collaboration."1111The PlayStation upload of the announcement described PHYSINT as "a new project coming to PlayStation". No specific platform, no release date and no exclusivity terms were announced then or at any point during the arrangement. The project's public record contains no PHYSINT announcement at all between December 2025 and September 2026. See Announcement and Reveal History.1212The Cancellation Notice, Mid-June 20261414Kojima Productions' account of what happened was published on 10 September 2026. Hideo Kojima:1616"As confirmed earlier through our official channels, in mid-June of this year, we unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios that they would cancel the PHYSINT project. PHYSINT is an important project both to me personally and to KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS. Determined to keep the project alive, we have spent the last three months searching tirelessly for a new partner. In the course of seeking advice and pursuing negotiations with people across many fields, we found in XBOX a partner with whom we share a common vision for the future, and we have decided to team up with them once again. Please rest assured that development of PHYSINT, our genre-defining action-espionage title, is ongoing and will continue moving forward."1818That statement is the source of three facts that appear nowhere else: the month of the cancellation notice, which party issued it, and the length of the search that followed. What effect the interruption had on the schedule has not been stated. See Development Status.1919Xbox Announced, 9 September 20262121Xbox announced the partnership on 9 September 2026, under a headline describing the two companies as expanding their partnership to publish PHYSINT. The announcement carried two statements. Asha Sharma, styled XBOX CEO:2323"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."2525Hideo Kojima, Game Creator and Founder of Kojima Productions:2626"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."2828The announcement also stated that the relationship extends past games, with the two companies collaborating across film and television. Both first-party statements style the partner as XBOX.2929The phrase "beyond OD" is worth keeping in mind when reading coverage of this announcement. OD is a separate Kojima Productions project that Xbox already published, and the sentence that announced the PHYSINT deal is also the sentence that keeps the two games apart.3131Kojima Productions Confirmed, 10 September 20263333Kojima Productions published its own confirmation on its site, dated 10 September 2026 BST, under the heading XBOX CONFIRMED AS NEW PARTNER FOR PHYSINT:3535"Today, we are excited to confirm that our journey with PHYSINT continues with Asha and the team at XBOX. XBOX understands and shares our bold creative vision, and 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."3737A Japanese-language version of the same page carries the same statement. The page carries a 2026 copyright line naming Kojima Productions Co., Ltd. and Hideo Kojima, with no publisher copyright, which is consistent with the studio holding the IP.3838Sony Interactive Entertainment's Statement4040PlayStation Studios issued its own statement on 10 September 2026:4242"An update from PlayStation Studios: 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. Our relationship remains strong after three decades of industry-leading, genre-defining creative cooperation, and we look forward to continued close collaboration with Hideo Kojima and his award-winning independent studio in the future."4444The statement gives no reason for the decision and sets no conditions. As of 2026-09-12 no further statement about PHYSINT from Sony Interactive Entertainment had been published.4545On the Reasons4747No reason for the end of the Sony arrangement has been given by Sony Interactive Entertainment, by Kojima Productions, or by Xbox. Several explanations circulate. None of them can be traced to a statement by any of the three parties, and this wiki does not repeat them. What was said is enough: a decision described as difficult and taken after careful consideration, a cancellation notice received unexpectedly in mid-June, a three-month search, and a new partner.4949What the Change Did Not Include5151ItemStatus as of 2026-09-12PlatformNone announced, in either the Sony era or the Xbox era. There is no store listing on any storefrontRelease date or windowNone announcedExclusivity termsNone announced by any party, in either directionSubscription or day one availabilityNot mentioned in any statementFinancial termsNot disclosed by any partyChange of developer or creative leadNone. Kojima Productions remains the developer and Hideo Kojima the creative lead5353A platform line-up has been asserted in published commentary since the announcement. It is inference from the identity of the publisher, not a first-party statement, and it should not be treated as one. See What We Know and What We Don't.
