Clarification on Kojima’s Physint Budget: Xbox Pays Significantly Less Than $400 Million
- Initial reports suggested a $400 million budget for Hideo Kojima’s Physint, but this figure has been revised down.
- Christopher Dring indicated that Xbox is likely paying “quite a bit less” than the originally cited figure.
- Physint was initially a PlayStation project before Kojima secured funding from Xbox after Sony withdrew support.
A reported budget of $400 million for Hideo Kojima’s game Physint has been called into question over the weekend, with various sources indicating that Xbox is not spending that amount on the project. The original budget figure was mentioned by Christopher Dring of The Game Business during a podcast on Friday, where he stated that Xbox was “signing Kojima for a project often referred to as Physint with a budget around $400 million.”
Following this, Dring clarified on X/Twitter that the actual payment from Xbox is likely “quite a bit less” than that figure. He noted that he had initially heard “everything from $300 million to $600 million, although it’s $400 million that is the figure that is bandied around.” Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier also reported that his sources described Microsoft’s final negotiated amount as “significantly less than this.”
Jez Corden from Windows Central added that Xbox is actually paying only a “fraction” of the previously reported amount, although no specific figures have been mentioned.
Physint, billed as an action-espionage title and a spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid, was initially set to be a PlayStation project. Sony was extensively involved in negotiations with Kojima Productions but eventually withdrew funding after the project’s budget escalated and deadlines slipped.
After Sony’s June decision to back away from the project, Kojima managed to secure Xbox’s backing to continue funding and publishing Physint. This deal also encompasses movie and TV licensing rights for the game and improved terms for Kojima’s other project, a horror game titled OD.
Recently, Xbox has reaffirmed its focus on exclusives, declaring that titles like Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution will not be released on PlayStation. Nevertheless, some other games, including Forza Horizon 6 and Fable, are still under development for PS5, leaving room for speculation about Physint’s potential cross-platform future.
In a recent statement, Kojima mentioned, “I think all of that will be announced at a later time. I’m not sure yet, and I can’t really say,” when asked about the project’s details.
Additionally, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently commended Xbox’s ongoing “streamlining” efforts under CEO Asha Sharma, amid reports of 268 layoffs and various structural changes, including the potential closure of British studio Ninja Theory and shifts in control among other studios.
News Courtesy of Eurogamer
