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Hideo Kojima says he was 'shocked' after Sony cut ties with Physint over a Zoom call: 'Nothing could’ve prepared me for their decision to step away from the project'
My first thought was, "What am I going to do with my studio?"
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Sony's recent decision to cut ties with Kojima Productions's Physint is one of the more unexpected turns of 2026. Even with the industry's many struggles, and speculation that Death Stranding 2 didn't sell as well as Sony hoped, the PlayStation studio shutting the door on one of the industry's most famed and respected designers was a huge surprise.
While Kojima Productions would eventually find a new publisher for Physint in Microsoft, it took a frantic three months of pitching for that happen. This is partly because Kojima himself was similarly blindsided by Sony's decision, as the veteran designer revealed in the first interview he's given since switching publishers.
Speaking to IGN, Kojima revealed that in June, Sony contacted him saying they wanted to have a Zoom call, which he agreed to. It was during that call when Sony broke the bad news: "They said they can no longer fund development for Physint. I was shocked and I said 'What did you say?'" Kojima explained. "I couldn't quite process what they had said. I wasn't sure because I was in such shock."
Kojima told IGN that he understood "the situation in the industry as a whole", with many studios being shut down and projects being cancelled. But he genuinely believed Physint "was safe" from the industry's broader turbulence. "I was surprised, but not just surprised. We didn't understand the reason. I didn't have any anger or sadness; my first thought was 'What am I going to do with my studio?"'
Indeed, Kojima Productions' financials were such that it would have struggled to continue operating as it had with one of its two projects—the other being the horror game OD—deprived of funding. "I thought I might have to cut all the people working on Physint, right? Or our studio could end up collapsing because we'll run out of cashflow." Kojima specified that he has "borrowed money from the bank" to help fund Kojima Productions, and that "If they find out a project has been stopped or cancelled, we'd be in big trouble."
The reason for Sony's decision still seems to elude Kojima—or at least, if he does know the reason, he hasn't stated it explicitly. But there is an implication that his relationship with Sony has shifted, as people he knew at the company have left or retired. "I've been working with [Sony] for like 30 years… Mr Ken Kutaragi, Mr. Hirai, I was close with them. But it's not like that recently."
Nonetheless, Kojima reiterated that, despite Sony's decision, he doesn't view the company negatively. "Nothing could’ve prepared me for their decision to step away from the project. So I thought, 'What am I going to do from tomorrow?' But from my side, I love Sony. And I don't have any bad feelings against them."
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