Hideo Kojima’s forthcoming espionage game Physint won’t be released for quite a few years yet.
Kojima’s next game, Death Stranding 2, is on the cusp of release, but Physint is already in development alongside Xbox horror game OD.
He even wants to create a film as well, but these game projects are a priority first. “Besides Death Stranding 2, there’s Physint in development,” Kojima told French magazine Le Film Français (via ResetEra). “It’ll take me another five or six years. But maybe after that, I could finally decide to tackle a film.”
He continued: “I grew up with cinema. Directing it would be a kind of homage to it. Besides, I’m getting older, and I’d prefer to do it while I’m still young.”
Kojima is now 61 years of age, meaning Physint won’t be released until he’s into his late 60s and, at this rate, a film won’t be likely until he’s in his 70s.
And with a few years to go until Physint, does that mean it could release on Sony’s next console? Back in 2022, a confidential document suggested the company wouldn’t expect a PlayStation 6 until at least 2027. Of course, that may have changed to even later now.
Kojima first announced Physint in 2024, describing it as “the third, new original IP since the establishment of Kojima Productions” and a “completely new ‘Action Espionage’ for the next-generation”. Many fans are expecting it to rival Metal Gear, the series Kojima is most known for.
Death Stranding 2 certainly has more than a shade of Metal Gear to it, both in its expanded combat options and its story themes.
At a recent preview for Death Stranding 2, Kojima mentioned the desire from fans for a new Metal Gear game inspired Physint.
“Of course, I have lots of new ideas that I want to create,” he said. “But when I became sick during the pandemic, I realised that a lot of people wanted me to make something like Metal Gear. That’s when I had the idea for a new espionage game. I reflected, and thought the idea was good. I took it to Sony and they were incredibly supportive. We explored many options, and we agreed on doing Physint.”
Still, he told Edge Magazine he’s not “interested in appealing to the mass market”, after test reviews for Death Stranding 2 came out positively.
“Sony is pleased, of course, but I do wish it was a bit more controversial,” said Kojima. “Blockbuster films need an 80 percent approval rating – I don’t want to make games like that. I’m not interested in appealing to the mass market, or selling millions of copies. That’s not what I’m aiming for.”