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Sony Interactive Entertainment is losing a high-profile partner: Kojima Productions says PlayStation withdrew from the espionage game PHYSINT and the studio signed with Xbox. Sony says its relationship with Kojima remains strong after 30 years.
Synthesized from 9
Yomimono stories · updated
5d ago
Sony Interactive Entertainment lost a partner in September 2026. Kojima Productions said PlayStation withdrew from PHYSINT, the espionage game the two had been developing together. 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.
On the consumer side, Sony's PS5 business keeps moving. A new TV commercial starring rapper Pilaf Seijin, who wrote the song "Dabi Dabi Du" for it, features six games and arrives on the official PlayStation Japan YouTube channel on August 14, with the song out digitally on August 28. Sony Interactive Entertainment also announced three official PS5 hardware products set for release this year: the FlexStrike Wireless Fight Stick, a wireless speaker, and a gaming monitor. The arcade stick is the company's first first-party fighting controller, designed with portability and tournament use in mind.
The wider PlayStation ecosystem is active in other hands. LEGO Japan said general sales of the LEGO PlayStation begin October 4, a 1,911-piece recreation of the first-generation console priced at 27,980 yen and rated for ages 18 and up, with dioramas drawn from Gran Turismo and Ape Escape. A tech blogger modified a first-generation PlayStation into a foldable handheld styled after the Game Boy Advance SP, releasing circuit diagrams as open source on Hackaday.io. Amazon's Prime Day 2026 advance sale listed a PS5 Digital Edition bundle with two PlayStation Store Ticket codes at 58,710 yen, 7 percent below its reference price.
What comes next is unsettled. A leaker, KeplerL2, reported the PlayStation 6's bill of materials rose to around $960 as of June 2026 amid a RAM shortage tied to AI demand, while Sony president Hideaki Nishino told investors the company will not absorb cost increases. The expected retail price may approach $1,000. Sony's own hardware plans land somewhere between a fight stick and a number nobody has confirmed.
Key facts
- Kojima Productions partner
- Signed with Xbox after PlayStation withdrew from PHYSINT ↗
- PHYSINT cancellation notice
- Hideo Kojima said a notice stating the project would be canceled arrived from Sony Interactive Entertainment in mid-June ↗
- PS5 commercial song
- "Dabi Dabi Du" by Pilaf Seijin, featuring six games, releases digitally on August 28 ↗
- New PS5 hardware
- FlexStrike Wireless Fight Stick, a wireless speaker, and a gaming monitor, all set for release this year ↗
- LEGO PlayStation release
- General sales begin October 4, 2026; priced at 27,980 yen and rated for ages 18 and up ↗
- PS5 Digital Edition bundle
- 58,710 yen in Amazon's Prime Day 2026 advance sale, 7 percent below the 63,000 yen reference price ↗
- PlayStation 6 cost
- Leaker KeplerL2 reported a bill of materials around $960 as of June 2026; expected retail price may approach $1,000 ↗
- Foldable console project
- Tech blogger LCLDIY built a foldable handheld from a first-generation PlayStation and released circuit diagrams as open source on Hackaday.io ↗
Timeline
- Sep 11, 2026 PlayStation Pulls Out Of PHYSINT As Kojima Productions Turns To Xbox
- Sep 3, 2026 LEGO PlayStation Set Recreates Original Console With Gran Turismo and Ape Escape Dioramas
- Aug 14, 2026 Pilaf Seijin Writes New Song for PS5 Commercial Featuring Six Games
- Aug 10, 2026 Gamescom Dev Leadership Summit Sets PlayStation and Tencent Speakers
- Jul 22, 2026 Anime and Manga Worlds Celebrate Marine Day 2026
- Jul 6, 2026 PlayStation 5 Digital Edition Bundle 7% Off in Amazon Prime Day Advance Sale
- Jul 2, 2026 PlayStation 6 Price Could Approach $1,000 Amid RAM Shortage
- Jun 22, 2026 First-Gen PlayStation Modified Into a Foldable Handheld Console
- Jun 4, 2026 Sony Interactive Entertainment Announces Three Official PS5 Gaming Peripherals
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
All coverage
4d ago
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the PlayStation PULSE Wireless Headset and the PULSE Edge Wireless Headset on September 16, a new generation of official PS5 audio hardware. Both models use custom planar magnetic drivers larger than those in the PULSE Elite, which SIE released in 2024. The headsets support PlayStation Link for what the company describes as lossless, ultra-low-latency audio, and each can connect at the same time to a compatible Bluetooth device. The built-in microphone uses AI-based noise rejection. The standard PULSE has four magnets per driver. The PULSE Edge doubles that to eight and adds active noise canceling, a detachable boom microphone, an audio and mic terminal, a carrying case, and a function that balances PS5 game audio against chat audio. The PULSE ships in some regions from the 2026 holiday season. The PULSE Edge follows in early 2027. Sony has not set prices or reservation dates for either.
Sep 11
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 3
LEGO Japan announced on September 3, 2026 that general sales of the LEGO PlayStation begin October 4. The set recreates the first-generation PlayStation's gray body silhouette and controller using 1,911 LEGO pieces. When complete, it measures approximately 6 cm high by 26 cm wide by 19 cm deep, nearly the size of the actual console. The controller connects to the main unit, and the Open and Power buttons are functional and can be pressed. The central gimmick is a diorama revealed when the console opens. Two scenes are available: a miniature course from the 1997 racing game Gran Turismo and a scene from the 1999 game Ape Escape, complete with the red and blue monkey helmets. These dioramas store inside the console or can be removed for separate display. The set is priced at 27,980 yen including tax and is recommended for ages 18 and up. LEGO Insiders members can purchase early starting October 1. Retail locations include the official LEGO online store, LEGO stores nationwide, the Benelic LEGO Store Rakuten Market shop, and LEGOLAND Japan Resort locations.
Aug 14
Rapper Pilaf Seijin appears in a new PS5 TV commercial for Sony Interactive Entertainment. Two videos, "Let's Play a Lot on PlayStation 5! feat. Pilaf Seijin" and "Everyone Gather on PlayStation 5! feat. Pilaf Seijin," will release on the official PlayStation Japan YouTube channel on August 14. Pilaf Seijin wrote the commercial song "Dabi Dabi Du," which incorporates the worldviews of six featured games, and provides narration. The song releases digitally on August 28.
Aug 10
gamescom dev announced the program for its Leadership Summit, an invitation-only closed-door executive forum on August 24, 2026, in Cologne. Speakers include Amir Satvat of Tencent Games and Luis Villegas of Sony Interactive Entertainment. The summit covers industry transformation, AI, and organizational strategy.
Jul 22
On July 20, 2026, numerous anime, manga, and game franchises posted Marine Day greetings on social media. The Japanese national holiday, which honors the ocean and marks the end of the rainy season, prompted official accounts and creators to share beach-themed illustrations, character birthday messages, and promotional content. Among the posts, the official Kaiju No. 8 account promoted an upcoming original short anime titled "Narumi's Weekday" with a pun on the character's name and the kanji for sea. The MAPPA studio released a new illustration by Rie Nishimura for the soccer series DAYS, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2026. The Sound! Euphonium account reminded followers that the film Sound! Euphonium: The Final Part 2 opens on September 11. Classroom of the Elite noted that July 20 is also the birthday of character Honami Ichinose. The That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime account promoted the streaming of its movie Tears of the Azure Sea on U-NEXT. The Chiikawa movie account promoted the July 24 release of Eiga Chiikawa: Ningyo no Shima no Himitsu. Voice actor Yuki Kaji posted a personal greeting, and the band Orange Range shared a summer song. The roundup, compiled by Anime News Network, spanned three articles covering dozens of entries.
Jul 6
Amazon has kicked off the advance sale for Prime Day 2026, and one of the featured deals is a PlayStation 5 Digital Edition bundle. The set, which includes the PS5 Digital Edition model (CFI-2200B01) and two PlayStation Store Ticket codes worth 5,000 yen and 3,000 yen, is priced at 58,710 yen. That is 7 percent below the set's reference price of 63,000 yen, saving buyers more than 4,000 yen. The advance sale began at 0:00 on July 7, 2026, and runs through July 9. The main Prime Day event then follows from July 10 to July 13. The PS5 Digital Edition retains the console's core features: an ultra-high-speed SSD, 3D audio, backward compatibility with PlayStation 4 titles, and the DualSense controller's haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. The PlayStation Store Tickets are prepaid codes that add credit to a user's account for digital purchases. The deal is available while stocks last, and Amazon notes that sale prices may end early due to limited quantities.
Jul 2
Leaker KeplerL2 reports that the PlayStation 6's bill of materials has risen to around $960 as of June 2026, driven by a RAM shortage tied to AI demand. Sony president Hideaki Nishino told investors the company will not absorb cost increases, prioritizing profitability over expanding the user base. The expected retail price may approach $1,000.
Jun 22
Tech blogger LCLDIY modified a first-generation PlayStation console into a foldable handheld device styled after the Game Boy Advance SP. The project used a PS one board, a redesigned circuit, a 6-inch LCD, and a 3D-printed housing. Circuit diagrams were released as open source on Hackaday.io.
Jun 4
Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced three official PlayStation 5 hardware products: the FlexStrike Wireless Fight Stick, a wireless speaker, and a gaming monitor, all set for release this year. The arcade stick is the company's first first-party fighting controller, designed with portability and tournament use in mind, including a lock button and a carrying case.