Kojima Productions urges skepticism over report on Sony split
Kojima Productions is pushing back against a report detailing why its upcoming game Physint switched from PlayStation to Xbox, telling fans to take the claims "with a dose of scepticism." The studio issued a statement on its official X account, per VGC, directly responding to the unnamed report, which appears to be from Bloomberg.
That report, according to VGC, claimed PlayStation cancelled Physint partly due to the Death Stranding games underperforming financially for Sony, and partly because Physint was missing deadlines and was set to go over budget despite being years from release. Kojima Productions' statement denies the sourcing, saying, "None of the claims written came from any official or on-the-record source."
The studio also sought to reassure fans and partners, stating, "the studio is in a healthy, profitable state, development for Physint continues to move forward with Xbox, and our relationship with PlayStation remains strong." The statement clarified that the studio normally wouldn't comment on speculation, but felt the need to address the widespread nature of the report.
In a separate IGN interview conducted before the Bloomberg report, Hideo Kojima detailed the moment he learned of Sony's decision. He said he was told in a June Zoom call that Sony Interactive Entertainment would no longer fund Physint, leaving him stunned and worried about the future of his 200-person studio.
Kojima told IGN his first thought was for his staff and the studio's survival, fearing he might have to lay off the Physint team or that the company could collapse. He said he then spent three months searching for a new partner, ultimately finding a "common vision" with Xbox, which agreed to pick up the project.
