Hideo Kojima Exclusive Interview on PlayStation Ditching Physint and Moving to Xbox
The interview predates Bloomberg’s report. IGN does not say whether the published English was spoken or translated. The appended statement is by Kojima Productions, not Kojima.
The 13 entries it supports
-
“Even when I went to the bank, I couldn't borrow money. They said, 'We know you're renowned, but you don't have any actual results.'”
Quote 2019-10-09 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima -
In mid-June 2026, PlayStation Studios notified Kojima and KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS that it would cancel PHYSINT. The project was important both to Kojima and to his studio. After three months of searching for a new partner, Kojima and his team found a shared vision with XBOX and decided to work together again. Development of PHYSINT continues.
Paraphrase 2026-09-10 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima -
“But if Kojima Productions collapses, that doesn’t follow this trend at all. It’s a step backwards for indies. So I needed to stand firm and continue this project.”
Paraphrase 2026-09-20 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima -
“We sign contracts according to projects, and that's how we survive one by one as an indie. So I need to find a new project before the previous project ends, and that's how we stay alive.”
Paraphrase 2026-09-20 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima -
In a statement supplied to IGN after the interview, Kojima Productions urged scepticism toward unofficial explanations for Physint’s change of partner. The studio said it was healthy and profitable, that development was continuing with Xbox and that its relationship with PlayStation remained strong.
Paraphrase 2026-09-20 IGN — official Kojima Productions statement appended to the interview -
“So the work didn’t stop. […] I have to change the story depending on how the game experiment works.”
Paraphrase 2026-09-20 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima -
“I predicted that people might leave, but no one did.”
Anecdote 2026-09-20 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima -
“I want to do something new. But I saw so many people requesting it. And I was thinking, maybe I only have 10 years left. […] And we shook hands and that's how the partnership started.”
Anecdote 2026-09-20 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima -
“These days of digital production, we could actually kind of use the same assets for a movie and a game. […] Of course, I'll release the game first probably!”
Paraphrase 2026-09-20 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima -
“I'm making this new IP, and I want to consider everything like movies, dramas, anime, TV, comics, music. Let's create a new IP with all of this included.”
Paraphrase 2026-09-20 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima -
“But the number one priority is my staff. We have about 200 people, and I expanded because we had Physint. […] I didn't want to do the same thing we did for P.T.”
Paraphrase 2026-09-20 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima -
“True story: after the meeting, the first thing I did was, I came back to my desk, and I started to write and add a little bit more to the concept for Physint.”
Anecdote 2026-09-20 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima -
“They haven't contacted me ever since. But I'm not fighting with Sony. We're not in a dispute. […] So if this was the conclusion, I would've wanted to hear it a little earlier.”
Paraphrase 2026-09-20 IGN — Daniel Robson and Wesley Yin-Poole, interview with Hideo Kojima