Here's the "bombshell" of the day: Hideo Kojima's new project PHYSINT, described as a sort of spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid, has been "dropped" by PlayStation who had previously announced it as their new great exclusive, and has instead been welcomed at XBOX.

The deal, announced today by both Kojima Productions and XBOX, will go beyond video games and will also involve film and television.

Kojima himself reconstructed on social media how things went. In mid-June, the studio received, in a completely unexpected way, the communication with which PlayStation Studios announced the cancellation of the project. PHYSINT is a very important title both for him on a personal level (it is a kind of redemption after Konami excluded him from the production of the MGS series) and for Kojima Productions, and for this reason the team has decided not to let it die. In the last three months, the studio has been tirelessly looking for a new partner, asking for advice and starting negotiations with people from many different sectors. In the end, the choice fell on XBOX, with which the studio says it shares a common vision of the future and with which it has decided to join forces again.

The game designer then wanted to reassure fans: "the development of Physint, our action-espionage destined to redefine the genre, is underway and will continue to move forward".

The news took many by surprise, given the long relationship between Kojima and the Sony brand. Asha Sharma, CEO of XBOX, immediately responded with an announcement from XBOX. Shortly after, a more in-depth post arrived on the official XBOX Wire blog, with details of the operation.

In the XBOX post, you describe Kojima as an author who has spent his entire career challenging convention and pushing the boundaries of what a video game can be. The post also presents the agreement as a new chapter in the partnership between the two companies. Sharma commented: "Creatives can choose where and how they bring their ideas to life. We are honored that Kojima-san has chosen XBOX to work with Kojima Productions on PHYSINT. His ambition to challenge convention reflects the kind of creativity we want to support in XBOX."

Kojima recalled that his studio is already working with XBOX on OD, and that the new deal expands that relationship: "this takes our relationship with XBOX beyond OD. As we move forward with the development of PHYSINT, we remain determined to redefine the action-spy genre for gamers around the world." In addition to OD and PHYSINT, XBOX and Kojima Productions will also collaborate on film and television projects, with the goal of bringing new stories to a wider audience. More details will come as development progresses.

The change of publisher is already making fans a lot, and many said they were surprised by Sony's decision to give up on the project. For XBOX users, however, it is good news: there is another game signed by one of the most respected authors in the industry, which joins OD.

The news also comes close to the Tokyo Game Show, expected in a week: this timing leads us to believe that, on the occasion of the Japanese fair, a new trailer of the XBOX brand game could be shown. Keep following us!