Monday, 5 October 2026
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KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS

Kojima Productions is developing PHYSINT with Xbox and OD: KNOCK, with performance capture on OD: KNOCK resumed after a strike suspension. The studio says its relationship with PlayStation remains strong after PlayStation withdrew from PHYSINT in mid-June 2026.

Synthesized from 18 Yomimono stories · updated 13h ago

Kojima Productions spent 2026 moving its publishing partnerships and answering questions about them. On September 10 the studio said PHYSINT, its action espionage game, would be published with Xbox, after Hideo Kojima said Sony Interactive Entertainment notified him in mid-June that the project would be canceled. He said he spent about three months seeking a new partner. The next day the studio said PlayStation had withdrawn from the project. PlayStation Studios said it made the difficult decision to step away.

Hideo Kojima gave status updates on the other project, OD: KNOCK, during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026 Broadcast on September 17. Performance capture had been suspended because of a strike and resumed this year. He named Sophia Lillis and Hunter Schafer as lead actors. The same broadcast brought the announcement that Bill Skarsgård will play the lead in PHYSINT, joining a cast that already includes Charlie Fraser, Ma Dong-seok, and Minami Hamabe. Xbox division CEO Asha Sharma said Kojima's attitude of challenging conventional concepts is the kind of creativity Xbox wants to support, and she visited Kojima Productions before the broadcast.

Kojima Productions issued an official statement on September 20 responding to online speculation about the partner change, saying the articles were not based on official or documented reliable sources. The studio said it is in a healthy and profitable state, that PHYSINT development is progressing smoothly with Xbox, and that its relationship with PlayStation remains strong. Release date and price for PHYSINT are undecided.

Away from the games, the studio ran the KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS x PARCO GAMES STRAND STORE pop-up at Shibuya Parco from June 6 to August 30, with over 15 brand collaborations and Death Stranding merchandise, and worked with km5 on a BB Pod-designed CD player sold at the same store.

Key facts

Publishing partner for PHYSINT
Xbox, after PlayStation Studios ended its collaboration ↗
Lead actor in PHYSINT
Bill Skarsgård plays the protagonist ↗
Other announced PHYSINT cast
Charlie Fraser, Ma Dong-seok, and Minami Hamabe ↗
OD: KNOCK lead actors
Sophia Lillis and Hunter Schafer ↗
OD: KNOCK production status
Performance capture resumed this year after a strike suspension and is moving according to plan ↗
Studio statement on speculation
Kojima Productions said it is in a healthy and profitable state and that its relationship with PlayStation remains strong ↗
PHYSINT release date and price
Undecided ↗
Recruiting
Mid-career staff across design, engineering, planning, sound, localization, and production support for OD and Physint ↗
Strand Store run
Shibuya Parco, June 6 to August 30, with over 15 brand collaborations and free admission ↗
BB Pod CD player
km5 Instant Disc Audio Cp1 Death Stranding 2 Model, launched August 1, 2026 ↗

Timeline

Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every fact links the story it came from.

Facts

Announced
collaboration with km5 for BB Pod CD Player · 2026-08-07
Announced
opening of a limited-time pop-up store called the Strand Store at Shibuya Parco · 2026-06-05
Announced
limited-time pop-up store 'KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS × PARCO GAMES STRAND STORE' at Shibuya PARCO from June 6 to August 30 · 2026-05-20
Noted
recruiting mid-career staff across design, engineering, planning, sound, localization, and production support · 2026-08-31
Noted
currently developing OD and Physint (working title) after the DEATH STRANDING series · 2026-08-31
Noted
scaling up its teams for the simultaneous development of OD and Physint · 2026-08-31
Noted
participated in International Cat Day celebrations · 2026-08-09

Connections

Produces
physint, od knock, od, physint working title, death stranding 2

Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/kojima-productions. CC BY 4.0.

Claim activity

When a claim about KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS was confirmed, debunked, or disputed against open-web sources. The record stays even after a claim drops off the facts list.

  • Confirmed opening of a limited-time pop-up store called the Strand Store at Shibuya Parco Aug 30 · source
  • Confirmed limited-time pop-up store 'KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS × PARCO GAMES STRAND STORE' at Shibuya PARCO from June 6 to August 30 May 28 · source

All coverage

1d ago

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma Says Division Is Not for Sale

Asha Sharma, CEO of Xbox, told The New York Times in an interview published September 30 that the division will not be sold, directly addressing rumors that followed the company's large-scale reorganization. Sharma took over the gaming division in February 2026 after Phil Spencer stepped down. Under the "Xbox Reset," the company announced layoffs of about 1,600 people in July and said it would cut roughly 3,200 people this fiscal year. She said Xbox will proceed from a long-term perspective and will consider the right partners and operating model. Sharma also addressed the partnership with Kojima Productions on the new action espionage title PHYSINT, saying she is pleased Hideo Kojima chose to work with Xbox. She said the cooperative relationship with Sony will continue and that competition and collaboration can coexist.

Sep 21

Hideo Kojima Appears At Xbox FanFest Tokyo Watch Party

Xbox FanFest Tokyo ran at Terrada Warehouse B&C HALL in Tennozu Isle on the first day of Tokyo Game Show 2026, marking Xbox's 25th anniversary as the Tokyo stop of a tour across 7 countries and 8 cities. The venue featured demos including Minecraft Dungeons II and Forza Horizon 6, a talk with Larry Hryb, and a watch party for the Xbox Games Showcase 2026 Broadcast, where Hideo Kojima appeared on stage as a surprise.

Sep 19

Kojima Productions Says PHYSINT Development Continues With Xbox

Kojima Productions issued an official statement on September 20 responding to online speculation about why the publishing partner for PHYSINT changed. The studio said the articles in question were not based on official or documented reliable sources and asked readers to judge them carefully. According to the statement, Kojima Productions is in a healthy and profitable state, PHYSINT development is progressing smoothly in cooperation with Xbox, and the studio's relationship with PlayStation remains strong. The speculation covered the studio's relationship with PlayStation, the commercial performance of the Death Stranding series, and the production plans and investment for PHYSINT. Kojima Productions said the speculation and defamatory statements affect fans, creative partners, and people it has worked with for 30 years, and that overlooking the situation could have a serious impact on the studio and related parties. The statement closes by thanking fans for their continued support.

Sep 17

Hideo Kojima Says OD: KNOCK Development Is on Track at Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026

Hideo Kojima appeared during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026 Broadcast on September 17 and gave a status update on OD: KNOCK, the horror project in development at Kojima Productions. Performance capture work, which had been suspended because of a strike, resumed this year and is moving according to plan. Kojima named Sophia Lillis and Hunter Schafer as the lead actors and asked viewers to look forward to their performances. He described the project as an unprecedented and completely new challenging game that pushes the limits of horror, and said that after repeated trial and error and experimentation the work is gradually taking shape. He added that he feels it is coming together and asked audiences to wait a while longer for more information. The broadcast ran from 19:00, and after the stream Kojima walked on stage at Xbox FanFest Tokyo, held alongside Tokyo Game Show 2026.

Sep 17

Bill Skarsgård Confirmed as Lead of Kojima's PHYSINT

Kojima Productions announced on September 17, 2026, during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026 Broadcast, that Bill Skarsgård will play the lead in PHYSINT, the new spy action title directed by Hideo Kojima. Skarsgård plays the protagonist, the character the player controls. A new teaser visual uses photos Kojima took himself of Skarsgård and Charlie Fraser during costume fittings, scans, and camera tests held earlier this year. Skarsgård joins a cast that already includes Fraser, Ma Dong-seok, and Minami Hamabe, whose involvement was announced earlier. Kojima said he had long been a fan of Skarsgård's work and that Skarsgård is also a fan of his, and that the tests left him confident in the project's direction. Casting, actor scans, and work with outside creators are ongoing, and more cast announcements are planned. In the same message, Kojima said performance capture and ADR recording on the horror game OD resumed this year after the SAG-AFTRA strike suspension.

Sep 14

Kojima Poses With Xbox Chief Asha Sharma As She Visits Kojima Productions

Asha Sharma, who leads Microsoft's Xbox division, visited Kojima Productions in Japan and appeared in a photo with Hideo Kojima that he posted to social media. Sharma took over the Xbox division after Phil Spencer, who had led it since 2014. Game Spark notes the visit could involve discussion of Kojima's projects PHYSINT and OD, both announced without release dates.

Sep 11

PlayStation Pulls Out Of PHYSINT As Kojima Productions Turns To Xbox

Kojima Productions says PlayStation withdrew from PHYSINT, the espionage game it had been developing with Sony. Hideo Kojima said a notice stating the project would be canceled arrived from Sony Interactive Entertainment in mid-June, and that the studio spent three months seeking a new partner before signing with Xbox. PlayStation said its relationship with Kojima remains strong after 30 years of collaboration.

Sep 10

Kojima Productions Shifts PHYSINT From PlayStation to Xbox Partnership

Kojima Productions announced on September 10, 2026 that its new-generation action espionage game PHYSINT will be published in partnership with Xbox, ending its collaboration with PlayStation Studios. Hideo Kojima said Sony Interactive Entertainment notified him in mid-June 2026 that the in-production PHYSINT project would be canceled. Kojima wrote on X that PHYSINT is an important project for him and for Kojima Productions, so he spent about three months searching for a new partner and settled on Xbox, a party with whom he can share a vision for the future. The Xbox partnership expands on the existing collaboration behind OD, which is also set for Xbox Game Studios. Xbox division CEO Asha Sharma said Kojima's attitude of challenging conventional concepts is the kind of creativity Xbox wants to support. PlayStation Studios said it made the difficult decision to step away after careful consideration and continues to hold Kojima's vision for the game in deep respect. Release date and price for PHYSINT are undecided.

Aug 31

Kojima Productions Opens Mid-Career Hiring Push for OD and Physint

Kojima Productions is recruiting mid-career staff across design, engineering, planning, sound, localization, and production support. The studio is currently developing OD and Physint (working title) after the DEATH STRANDING series, and seeks talent with experience in consumer game development, photorealistic graphics, and tools built with C++, Python, and C#.

Aug 29

MGS4 Graphics Comparison Shows Switch 2 and PS5 Versions Running at 60fps

A comparison video from YouTube channel ElAnalistaDeBits shows the Switch 2 and PS5 versions of Metal Gear Solid 4 in Master Collection Vol.2 against the PS3 original. The PS3 version runs at 720p and roughly 30fps, dropping to the 20fps range under load. Both modern versions run at 2160p and 60fps, with the Switch 2 upscaling from 1440p docked and 1080p handheld. The video finds little visual difference between the two current platforms, with only button notation as an obvious distinction.

Aug 7

Death Stranding 2 Pop-Up Store Adds Knit Tote, Shinkawa Exhibition

Parco Games announced new August products for the Kojima Productions pop-up store in Shibuya, including a knit tote bag with the Ahiru-Ludens motif, a T-shirt with a new Ludens illustration by Yoji Shinkawa, and collaborations with Disk Union and BLOCKHEAD MOTORS. A special exhibition of Shinkawa's rough sketches and an RC car event are also planned.

Aug 7

Kojima Productions Teams with km5 for BB Pod CD Player

km5 will launch the Instant Disc Audio Cp1 DEATH STRANDING 2 Model, a wireless CD player designed after the BB Pod, on August 1, 2026. The official collaboration with Kojima Productions will also be sold at the KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS × PARCO GAMES STRAND STORE at Shibuya PARCO. The model has special coloring, caution marks as accents, and a redesigned outer, plus a limited-design postcard.

Jul 2

Hideo Kojima's 2021 Post Resurfaces After Sony Ends PlayStation Disc Production

Sony announced on July 1, 2026, that production of physical discs for new PlayStation games will end in January 2028. Social media users, including influencer KAMI and analyst Daniel Ahmad, noted that game creator Hideo Kojima posted in August 2021 about digital data no longer being personally owned, calling it a prediction. Others expressed sadness and nostalgia, with some recalling Microsoft's 2013 Xbox One policies.

Jun 29

Hideo Kojima Gets a Nendoroid Figure

Good Smile Arts Shanghai is releasing a Nendoroid of Hideo Kojima, the creator of Metal Gear and Death Stranding. The figure stands about 100mm tall, includes three expression parts and optional accessories, and is available for pre-order on Amazon Japan at 6,500 yen with a December 31, 2026 release date.

Jun 5

Iiyama PC Launches Death Stranding 2 Recommended Gaming PCs

Unitcom released recommended PCs for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach under the LEVEL∞ series by iiyama PC on June 5. Prices start at 264,800 yen. The machines feature AMD Ryzen processors and Radeon graphics, are BTO-compatible, and meet Japan's Green Purchasing Law standards.

Jun 5

Kojima Productions and Parco Open the Strand Store Pop-Up in Shibuya

Kojima Productions and Parco Games have opened a limited-time pop-up store called the Strand Store at Shibuya Parco, running from June 6 to August 30. The store features a giant Ludens figure, Death Stranding merchandise, and over 15 cross-genre collaborations with brands like Dickies, Disk Union, and Brain Dead. Admission is free.

May 20

KOJIMA Productions and Parco Open Strand Store at Shibuya Parco

KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS and PARCO will open a limited-time pop-up store, the "KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS × PARCO GAMES STRAND STORE," at Shibuya PARCO in Tokyo from June 6 to August 30. Admission is free. The store is the latest iteration of events the two companies have run for the "DEATH STRANDING" series. It will feature collaborations with over 15 brands including Dickies, VICTORINOX, and U-TREASURE, spanning fashion, music, food, and lifestyle. Original goods from KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS' mascot LUDENS and the DEATH STRANDING series will be sold, including posters (five types, 1,650 yen each), "DEATH STRANDING 2 Trading Pin Badge vol.2" (five types, random, 770 yen each), a "DEATH STRANDING Strand Shoulder Strap" (1,980 yen), and an "Anicorn DEATH STRANDING 2 Ring Terminal" (39,600 yen). Customers spending 5,000 yen or more will receive a random limited "LUDENS Original Card" (five types). Details on products and projects will be announced later.