Hideo Kojima says that Physint hasn’t decided on its game engine yet, and he doesn’t know if it’ll still release on PlayStation following its move to Xbox.
Xbox Game Studios is now working with Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions on its Metal Gear spiritual successor, Physint, following Sony‘s decision to cancel the project. Reports had stated that the cancellation happened due to budget and timeline concerns, but Kojima Productions has since refuted these claims. However, both of Kojima Productions’ released titles – Death Stranding and its sequel – have been PlayStation titles, and used the Sony-owned Decima engine which was created by Horizon developer Guerilla Games.
Speaking to IGN in a new interview, Kojima is asked if the move from PlayStation to Xbox has forced the studio to swap development of Physint to a new engine (with the implication that it was once also likely to use Decima with it previously being a PlayStation Studios game). However, Kojima simply does not confirm if the game had even been in the works with that engine, saying, “I haven’t really decided yet. I’m still experimenting.”
Xbox has been releasing its titles on PS5 for a few years now, however, the appointment of Asha Sharma as CEO this year marked a change, as she was keen for a return to Xbox exclusives, with Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution set to remain exclusives for the platform. Others like Fable and Forza Horizon 6 still have PS5 releases planned.
Kojima is asked whether Physint would still release on PlayStation under Xbox publishing, but he wasn’t able to speak definitively on the topic. “I don’t know the answer to that – that would be a question for Xbox.” Kojima says, adding, “In previous updates from Xbox, I thought that they have this kind of stance where they want to deliver to as many gamers as possible, no matter what the platform is.”
It wouldn’t be surprising if Xbox wanted to keep Physint to itself, given that it taking over publishing duties on the game in the wake of Sony’s cancellation is one of the easiest wins the rival has had in recent years. Plus, even Kojima thinks “this is the biggest selling title I could possibly create.”