- Hideo Kojima says his studio could have collapsed after Sony pulled out of Physint.
- Cash flow might have run out soon, and the development team would have disbanded.
- However, Xbox stepped in at the right time to support the studio technically and financially.
Kojima Productions has had its hands full with OD and Physint since Death Stranding 2 came out to critical acclaim. However, the latter entry was close to cancellation after Sony pulled funding, which could have put Kojima Productions’ future in jeopardy.
Hideo Kojima explains in an interview that Sony abruptly cancelled the project over a Zoom call in June, which shocked him. He feared Kojima Productions could have collapsed over time if no other publisher was found for Physint on time.
Why it matters: Physint survived outright cancellation after Sony ditched the game because Xbox picked up the project instead. Kojima worried that his studio could have ended up like many others that went independent and failed to survive the harsh industry.
Speaking with IGN, Hideo Kojima says his studio would have run out of cash flow eventually, and he was also borrowing money from the bank for funding.
The studio would have been in ‘big trouble’ if the bank found out Physint’s development was stopped or cancelled entirely.
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.
-Hideo Kojima.
Additionally, Physint’s entire development team could have been disbanded if no publisher was found. That’s where Hideo Kojima pitched the project to Xbox, considering its already booming partnership for OD with the brand.
I approached Xbox and they were great. They could support us technically. […] I made a proper pitch of Physint to them. And then their first reaction was like, ‘This pitch was fantastic. Never seen a pitch like this!’
Xbox found the pitch to be amazing and went all in on supporting Physint, which has secured the future for the entry that aims to transcend the barrier between movies and games.
Regardless, Kojima assures his relationship with Sony remains strong following these developments.
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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 devoutly 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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