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Draft:PHYSINT

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PHYSINT
DeveloperKojima Productions
PublisherSony Interactive
Entertainment
DirectorHideo Kojima
ProducerHideo Kojima
DesignerHideo Kojima
WriterHideo Kojima
GenresStealth, action
ModeSingle player

PHYSINT (working title) is an upcoming stealth action game developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game will be directed, written, designed and produced by Hideo Kojima and marks his third game produced in partnership with SIE. The game will feature an ensemble cast starring Charlee Fraser, Ma Dong-seok and Minami Hamabe.

Hideo Kojima and PlayStation announced a partnership to develop a new original IP in January 2024, building on their work together for the Death Stranding franchise. PHYSINT marks Kojima Productions' return to the "action-espionage" subgenre the developer helped popularize with their work on the Metal Gear franchise published by Konami. The game will feature synergy between interactive elements and a deeper integration of multimedia presentation, blending aspects of film, television and music through close collaboration with Sony's film production studio Columbia Pictures. Production began following the development and release of Death Stranding 2: On The Beach in June 2025, with the game unveiled in September.

Development

[edit]

During the January 2024 PlayStation State of Play video presentation, Hideo Kojima and the head of PlayStation Studios Herman Hulst announced a new partnership between Kojima Productions and Sony Interactive Entertainment to produce another original intellectual property (IP), building on their work together on the titles Death Stranding (2019) and Death Stranding 2: On The Beach (2025). The game, under the working title PHYSINT,[1] was described as the developer's return to the "action-espionage" subgenre, made popular through their work on the Metal Gear franchise under their original parent company Konami, whom they separated from in 2015 following the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.[2][3] In addition, Kojima described his vision for the game as built on multimedia synergy, blending the interactive elements of video games with the presentation qualities of film, television and music in order to "transcend" the mediums in terms of narrative, casting, sound and themes.[4] This hybrid of formats is expected to be accomplished through close collaboration with Sony's film, TV and music divisions, with their film production arm Columbia Pictures being involved in an unspecified capacity.[5] At this stage, the game was in early pre-production, with active development not expected to begin until the studio concluded their work on Death Stranding 2: On The Beach.[6]

The following month, Kojima expanded on his decision to produce PHYSINT at this time, stating that the idea to return to stealth-action games was influenced by a combination of fans' constant inquiries regarding him developing a new Metal Gear game, as well as dealing with illness and undergoing surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused him to question his own capacity for making video games as he got older, and that he reconsidered his priorities after having successfully launched a franchise with Death Stranding and being able to develop an original idea with OD, his upcoming project with Xbox Game Studios.[7] PHYSINT being conceived as a hybrid of interactive and filmic mediums was partially influenced by a conversation Kojima had with filmmaker and collaborator Guillermo del Toro, who urged him to continue making video games that were strongly modeled after films in light of receiving requests from Hollywood studios to produce live-action features.[8] While promoting Death Stranding 2 in July 2025, Kojima insinuated that both OD and PHYSINT could potentially be his last game projects, expressing interest in pivoting Kojima Productions towards filmmaking depending on the studio's situation following their releases.[9] By August 2025, PHYSINT had entered the "conceptual stage", with Kojima mentioning in an interview with IndieWire that he was still working on the game completely by himself as the rest of the Kojima Productions development team were fully occupied with the production of OD.[10]

In September 2025, Kojima Productions unveiled preliminary details on PHYSINT during a special presentation commemorating the studio's tenth anniversary as an independent developer. Actors Charlee Fraser, Ma Dong-seok and Minami Hamabe were announced to have joined the ensemble cast for the title.[11] Kojima teased that the game would offer "the next stage of tactical-espionage action" and that its graphical fidelity would "break the barrier" between films and games.[12]

Release

[edit]

The development and release schedule of PHYSINT was briefly impacted by the 2024–2025 video game voice actor strike, which also affected Kojima Productions' other upcoming game project OD with Xbox Game Studios.[13] In a May 2025 interview with French publication Le Film Français, Kojima stated that while the game had officially entered pre-production following the completion of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, PHYSINT was still anticipated to be roughly "five to six years away" from release.[14] Key art for the game teasing the main protagonist in silhouette and an early look at the facial scan for Minami Hamabe's character were both showcased at the studio's "Beyond the Strand" livestream commemorating Kojima Productions' tenth anniversary in September 2025.[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ Hollister, Sean (2024-01-31). "PHYSINT is the working title of Hideo Kojima's new not-a-Metal-Gear game". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  2. ^ Sarkar, Samit (2015-12-16). "Konami's bitter, yearlong breakup with Hideo Kojima, explained". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  3. ^ "Kojima's New Game Physint Is A Return To The Espionage Genre". Kotaku. 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  4. ^ "Kojima making new Metal Gear Solid-style game, and movie, for PlayStation". Eurogamer.net. 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  5. ^ Square, Push (2024-01-31). "Sony Partners with Hideo Kojima on Physint, Basically Sounds Like a Metal Gear Successor". Push Square. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  6. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2024-01-31). "Hideo Kojima Is Returning to the Stealth Genre With an Action Espionage Game for PlayStation - State of Play 2024". IGN. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  7. ^ "Hideo Kojima says he decided to make Physint for fans after sickness made him reconsider his priorities". Eurogamer.net. 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  8. ^ Stanton, Rich (2024-02-09). "Hideo Kojima says Physint's happening because you lot just wouldn't stop asking for 'a new Metal Gear' and, after a brush with death, he's decided that's not a bad idea". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  9. ^ Highton, Andrew (2025-07-04). "Hideo Kojima Hints OD & Physint Could be His Final Games For a While". Insider Gaming. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  10. ^ Newman, Nick (2025-08-07). "Hideo Kojima on 'Death Stranding 2,' the Sequel's Big Changes and Improvements Post-Pandemic, and How He Hoped to Cast David Lynch in a Game". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  11. ^ Romano, Sal (2025-09-23). "Physint – first poster and cast members unveiled". Gematsu. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  12. ^ "Physint: First Look At Hideo Kojima's New Project Teases Stealth And Feelings". GameSpot. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  13. ^ Walker, Ian (2025-01-02). "Kojima says OD, Physint were both impacted by SAG strike". Polygon. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  14. ^ LeBlanc, Wesley. "Hideo Kojima Says Physint, His Next Action Espionage Game, Is 5-6 Years Away". Game Informer. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
  15. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2025-09-23). "Hideo Kojima Reveals Debut Poster for PlayStation Exclusive Physint, First Cast Announcement". IGN. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  16. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (2025-09-23). "Kojima Productions Beyond the Strand Livestream: Everything Announced". IGN. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
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