- Physint was cancelled by PlayStation due to a rigorous deadline process enacted to prevent a flop like Concord.
- The Kojima title missed several deadlines and was already over budget.
- Negotiations were held to make the project exclusive to PlayStation, but nothing materialised.
In a sudden turn of events, Xbox has become the new fan-favorite console maker by taking over Hideo Kojima’s Physint after PlayStation decided to halt production. The Japanese giant has come under increased scrutiny following this move, with players criticizing its insistence on live-service titles instead of single-player games.
PlayStation even debuted new footage and opened playtests for the upcoming extraction shooter Fairgames the same day it broke off its relationship with Kojima Productions. As it turns out, the company’s underwhelming live-service pivot is a big part of the reason Physint was cancelled by Sony.
Why it matters: From a business standpoint, the decision to cancel Physint does seem sensible. However, the Japanese giant has continued to bankroll live service titles like Horizon Hunters Gathering despite negative playtests.
According to insider Jason Schreier, PlayStation decided to drop Physint as part of its rigorous new deadline model that was put in place to prevent another Concord. Kojima’s espionage project went into production after Death Stranding 2 and was already missing milestones while going over budget.
PlayStation has enacted this way more rigorous process with milestones largely to prevent another Concord from happening. So, they have been cancelling more projects.
Sources close to PlayStation say Physint was not living up to expectations and was late on several deadlines. Schreier reveals that a few years ago, PlayStation would have moved forward with production, but according to the stricter production model, it decided to pull out of development and cancel the Kojima project in June.
Moreover, the insider also stated that there were negotiations between the two parties to continue production if Physint could be exclusive for a longer period of time. However, when these conversations broke down, the Japanese giant saw no value in investing hundreds of millions in the game.
Considering how the developer’s previous title, Death Stranding 2, also didn’t turn out to be a massive hit while going over budget, players can make sense of PlayStation’s seemingly inexplicable decision.
Do you think the Japanese gaming giant should have bankrolled the Hideo Kojima title despite the missed deadlines? Is Xbox the right entity to produce Physint? Tell us in the comments below or head to the Tech4Gamers forum for discussion.
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Shameer Sarfaraz has previously worked for eXputer as a Senior News Writer for several years. Now with Tech4Gamers, he loves to devotedly keep up with the latest gaming and entertainment industries. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and years of experience reporting on games. Besides his passion for breaking news stories, Shahmeer loves spending his leisure time farming away in Stardew Valley. VGC, IGN, GameSpot, Game Rant, TheGamer, GamingBolt, The Verge, NME, Metro, Dot Esports, GameByte, Kotaku Australia, PC Gamer, and more have cited his articles.
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