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‘Have You Heard How Much Money Kojima Wanted?’: Physint’s Rumoured Budget Said to Be ‘Significant’
Sony reportedly withdrew from Physint after months of negotiations with Kojima Productions over the project’s budget, progress, timeline and exclusivity. Xbox has since taken over, making the move a public-relations success, although development remains at an early stage and the game’s future details are unsettled.
Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier said the budget Kojima sought from Sony was rumoured to be “pretty significant”, though he stressed this was unconfirmed and believed Xbox may be paying less. Sony reportedly faced a costly project without owning the intellectual property, controlling development or securing permanent exclusivity, while Kojima Productions disputed some of the reporting and urged scepticism.
In short
- Sony reportedly left Physint after budget and development disagreements.
- Xbox has reportedly taken over the project.
- Kojima’s rumoured asking price remains unconfirmed.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Publishers must protect value by managing risk carefully. Committing significant resources to a new IP without owning it, controlling development, or securing permanent exclusivity is imprudent. Sony's withdrawal represents sound business judgement when financial exposure is substantial but publisher protection is limited.
The case against
Kojima Productions has proven capable of delivering innovative, significant work that justifies substantial investment. Insisting on IP ownership and restrictive control would compromise the creative vision that makes such projects valuable. Xbox's decision to proceed reflects understanding that breakthrough creative work requires trusting talented creators with adequate resources and autonomy.
Explained simply
Physint is a planned action and espionage game from Kojima Productions, the studio led by game designer Hideo Kojima. It was announced as a PlayStation project, but development is still at an early stage and many details about the game have not been confirmed.
Sony and Xbox are major video game companies that fund and publish games for their consoles. A publisher may pay for development and receive rights to sell a game, while the studio makes it; who owns the game’s intellectual property and whether it stays exclusive to one console can affect the deal.
The reported negotiations raise questions about how much a publisher is willing to spend when it does not own the game or control its development. The budget figure attributed to Kojima is unconfirmed, and Kojima Productions has disputed parts of the reporting, so the accounts remain uncertain.