Kojima Fires Back Over Physint Delay Claims, Insists He Still "Loves Sony"

Hideo Kojima has broken his silence on claims that Physint, his in-development "action espionage" game, blew past its budget and schedule, and he has done it without burning any bridges. The Kojima Productions founder says he still "loves Sony," even though the company's publishing deal for the game has fallen apart.

The comments follow a busy week. Sony recently "stepped away" from Physint, which was originally set up as a PlayStation exclusive. Xbox then stepped in to take over publishing duties, a notable reversal for a project that had been closely tied to PlayStation.

After the announcement, a new report claimed the split came down to three concerns on Sony's side: budget, potential profitability and exclusivity. In other words, the allegation is that the game was costing too much, might not earn enough, and that Sony was uneasy about how the exclusivity picture would play out. The report also framed the project as running late.

Kojima pushed back on the idea that this was a messy breakup. His tone was warm rather than defensive, and he stressed his continued affection for Sony instead of trading blows over who was responsible for what. That is in keeping with a relationship that goes back years. Sony backed Death Stranding and helped Kojima Productions get on its feet after the studio's independent launch.

There is still a lot we do not know. Neither the budget figures nor the timeline for Physint have been confirmed, and the report behind the claims has not been independently verified. It is also unclear how Xbox's involvement will change the game's platform plans, or whether a release on PlayStation is still possible.

For now, the picture is of a high-profile creator landing a new publisher while keeping things civil with the old one. Whether the budget and delay claims hold up will likely become clearer as Kojima Productions and Xbox share more about the game.