In a statement on social media, the visionary developer, Hideo Kojima, has confirmed that XBOX has saved the day with PHYSINT after PlayStation unceremoniously binned the project earlier this year. In June, PlayStation Studios wanted to cancel Kojima’s PHYSINT, but with a sense of ‘determination to keep the project alive’, the team sought a new project, landing in XBOX’s court.
It took three months for Kojima Productions to strike up a partnership with XBOX, which might seem bizarre, given the existing alignment between the two companies for OD, KP’s revolutionary horror title.
PHYSINT is Safe, Thanks to XBOX
In his statement on social media, Kojima wrote:
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.
PHYSINT has been dubbed a genre-defining action-espionage title, which might sound familiar, given Kojima’s Metal Gear-centric background. It’s arguably a spiritual successor to the MGS franchise, and from what we know, it sounds like a blast from the past for both players and the developer.
RELATED: Kojima is Working on PHYSINT ‘All By Himself’
PlayStation addressed the news in a separate post, drawing the kind of backlash you could openly expect at this point. They said:
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.
Users were quick to jump on the tech titan, with one writing, ‘Was the word too close to ‘physical’?’ Another said, ‘Just one L after another. Whoever is in charge of making these decisions needs to be fired.’
Are you looking forward to seeing what Kojima produces with PHYSINT now that XBOX is on board? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
Written by Grant Taylor-Hill Senior Editor and Esports LeadGrant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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