New reports say Xbox is paying only a fraction of the widely reported $400 million figure for Hideo Kojima’s Physint, correcting earlier coverage of the deal. The change matters because the original estimate suggested one of the industry’s most expensive game agreements, while the revised reports indicate Microsoft negotiated a substantially lower cost.

The $400 million figure originated with The Game Business, whose Christopher Dring later said Xbox’s payment was “quite a bit less”; Bloomberg described it as “significantly less”, while Windows Central reported it was a “fraction”, without giving an exact amount. Physint, a spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid, was originally backed by Sony before reported budget overruns and missed deadlines led it to withdraw; Xbox now funds and publishes the project, with film and television rights included alongside improved terms for Kojima’s horror game OD. Its possible release on PlayStation remains unclear.