Hideo Kojima “couldn’t understand” why Physint “would be on the list of being cancelled” by Sony

Hideo Kojima expressed shock and bewilderment at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s decision to cancel publishing Physint for PlayStation. According to recent interviews with The Washington Post and IGN, Kojima learned of the cancellation during a Zoom call in June, delivering unexpected news to the legendary game director.

“We couldn’t understand it,” Kojima told The Washington Post, noting that he believed Physint was a project that Sony and Kojima Productions had mutually agreed to develop together. “I didn’t have any anger or sadness. I was just thinking, ‘What should I do?’ It’s a big problem for us and I couldn’t tell staff at the time.”

Kojima characterized Physint as potentially “the biggest-selling title I could possibly create,” and expressed confusion about why the project would appear on any cancellation list. He noted that Jim Ryan, PlayStation’s former president, had already stepped down at the time of the decision, which added to his puzzlement regarding Sony’s reasoning.

The announcement came as a significant blow to Kojima Productions, though the situation was eventually resolved when Xbox stepped in to publish the game for Xbox Series X|S. Internet speculation has attributed Sony’s decision to missed deadlines and budget overruns on the project, though Kojima’s comments suggest the situation may be more nuanced than those claims suggest.

Despite the unexpected turn of events, Kojima indicated there is no lasting animosity between himself and Sony over the decision.

Hideo Kojima “couldn’t understand” why Physint “would be on the list of being cancelled” by Sony

Sources