Not $400 million: Kojima is getting less money from Xbox than Sony for Physint
Following Sony’s controversial decision to drop Hideo Kojima’s Physint, industry insiders revealed that the Japanese game designer might be working with Microsoft on a tighter budget, in contrast to his previous deal with PlayStation. However, the game’s exact budget remains a mystery to many.
Kojima Productions’ Physint is expected to star big Hollywood talent, including Bill Skarsgård as lead, which alone could significantly increase its budget. Rumors quickly spread on social media, with online reports claiming that Physint’s budget will be $400 million. In response, several well-known journalists revealed that Kojiam’s new deal with Microsoft could be significantly lower than Sony’s.
Not $400 million: Kojima is getting less money from Xbox than Sony for Physint
Christopher Dring, Editor-in-Chief for The Game Business, said in a subscribers-only Tokyo Game Show segment:
“There’s a lot of chatter around the game’s budget. I’ve heard everything from $300 million to $600 million, although it’s $400 million that is the figure that is bandied around the most Tokyo bars (whether Xbox paid that, I don’t know). There’s also an even wilder rumor circulating across the city around a third Kojima project… I’m not sure I believe that one.”
Boolmerg reporter Jason Schreier:
“Someone at Xbox with firsthand knowledge of the deal told me that they signed Physint for significantly less than [$400 million].”
Exclusive Editor for Windows Central said in an article slamming reports regarding the game’s $400 million budget:
“I was told similarly by first-hand sources with direct knowledge of the contracts that the figure for PHYSINT is far lower than what is being reported here. It has been suggested to me that the ‘$400 million’ figure is potentially what Sony and PlayStation might’ve been on the hook for until they cancelled the deal. Xbox and Kojima are building towards their Xbox projects on a ‘fraction’ of this reported figure.”
Sony’s physical media controversy and dropping Hideo Kojima
Sony has been swarmed with controversy following its most recent decisions. The most talked-about is its plan to kill physical PlayStation games in January 2028.
The tech giant recently claimed customers already know they don’t own their digital games, saying “Buy Now” should be understood as licensing, not ownership.
Sony also recently raised eyebrows after dropping Hideo Kojima’s upcoming stealth-action game “Physint.”
The company issued a statement that read:
“An update from PlayStation Studios: 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.”
In response, Kojima said goodbye to Sony and announced that his studio partnered with Xbox to release Physint.
