Hideo Kojima, the visionary behind the Metal Gear series and Death Stranding, is setting high expectations for his upcoming espionage game, tentatively titled "Physint." Kojima recently stated in an interview with The Washington Post that he believes "Physint" is "the biggest selling title I could possibly create." This assertion comes as Kojima Productions navigates a new publishing landscape after Sony unexpectedly canceled the project, with Xbox now set to publish the game.
Kojima explained that the shift in focus towards "Physint" was partly inspired by a health scare during the COVID-19 pandemic, which made him reflect on his remaining time to create games. Despite having moved on from the Metal Gear franchise, which remains Konami's intellectual property, Kojima noted the persistent demand from fans for a return to the genre. "I get so many messages from people saying, ‘Please make another Metal Gear!’" he told IGN. "I wasn’t really interested, because Metal Gear is the past. I want to do something new. But I saw so many people requesting it. And I was thinking, maybe I only have 10 years left. Of course, I can’t make Metal Gear — that’s Konami’s IP. But I was thinking, ‘Okay, maybe I should create a new action espionage game.’ And I started to think about this new concept."
While specific details about "Physint" remain scarce, including the game engine in development, Kojima indicated that innovative approaches to enemy artificial intelligence are a key focus. These experiments could significantly shape the game's final presentation. "But the game system for the new technology, like enemy AI and stuff, I’m still experimenting on all of this," he shared. "I have to change the story depending on how the game experiment works."
The "Physint" development team is currently smaller as Kojima Productions prioritizes the completion of "OD," an Xbox horror collaboration with director Jordan Peele. Nevertheless, Kojima aims to project confidence following the dissolution of the publishing deal with Sony. He suggested that "Physint" will offer a more conventionally enjoyable experience than his previous title, "Death Stranding." "I have to say this very carefully: anything espionage is going to be fun, period, no matter what game it is," Kojima stated. "Death Stranding is a delivery game. People were like, ‘What? Delivery? What kind of a game is that?’ When I was working on DS2, and after OD was decided, I needed to think of the next project for after DS2."
Kojima emphasized the importance of forward planning for his studio's sustainability. "As I explained before, in order to keep the studio alive, I have to plan ahead and pitch for the next title, although that also means I can’t direct a live action movie still. OD was going to be an edgy game, so for the next one, I was thinking of going even more extreme."