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The story
In the gaming industry, reports that Sony and Kojima Productions have parted ways sparked a discussion on 5ch’s “Hardware/Industry” (Geha) board about the reasons behind it. Sony’s in-house new title “PHYSINT” was announced in February 2024, but as of September 2025 it remains only at the cast-announcement stage, suggesting development is still in its early phases. Kojima’s side, meanwhile, appears to be focused on a new Microsoft-backed title called “OD.” Theories flew back and forth — that the split stems from development delays themselves, that it’s tied to Sony’s cost-cutting policy, or speculation around exclusivity deals and funding structures — making clear that the business circumstances behind it aren’t as simple as a falling-out.
What people said
Death Stranding 2 released on PS5 in June 2025
Cast was announced at a September 2025 event. Since focus is on OD at this point, it's clear development is still in the early planning stage.
probably showed that Kojima's claimed 2031 release
just wasn't going to happen.
That far out?
Maybe the path goes: sign a partnership deal with Microsoft promising a quick release
→ it never actually ships → Microsoft cancels the deal
→ then re-sign with Sony, and Sony and Kojima both end up happy ("umauma" — pleased with themselves)?
can Microsoft actually stomach this?
It's at most an AA studio, so it'll probably be fine.
Layoffs, studio closures, canceled projects, downsizing—
honestly, "they just couldn't afford to keep carrying it and had to cut it loose"
sounds a lot closer to the truth than the excuses in Re: #1-2.
Since humans still have to go back and fix things up,
it's often cheaper to just have humans make it from scratch.
Yeah… can't argue with that.
I think that's the real story.
Ahh…
if they're not releasing a PS6, or releasing one without really trying to push it into wide adoption,
then there's no point doing a timed exclusive at all, huh.
Well, Nintendo seems busy enough with its own game development anyway —
isn't Monolith Soft building their own in-house engine right now?
Did Microsoft foot the bill instead?
Right, Microsoft got the exclusive by covering Sony's extraordinary loss.
Could something like Scalebound, which got canceled at Microsoft, end up releasing on a different platform?
If they're planning to keep making consoles,
canceling would leave a gap they can't fill, so they'd need to release it —
but if they're pulling out of hardware altogether, no problem at all lol
Even if they release it, if it's a premium-priced console sold without subsidizing hardware losses and with no real intent to push adoption, there's no point putting out exclusives for it, right?
Though who knows how it'll actually play out.
They just don't have the cash left to keep bankrolling Kojima's project too.
Sounds like the Xi Gundam, having to fight while worrying about how much ammo and spare parts you have left (a reference to the mobile suit's fuel/ammo problems in "Hathaway's Flash").
Though it looks like, true to the original novel, Gigi isn't coming to help either.
Even under Microsoft, you're still under someone else's umbrella — there are deadlines, and you can't just make whatever you want.
How else are you supposed to
raise tens of billions of yen otherwise?
Microsoft and Sony are the ones willing to invest even without profit, for the sake of their hardware —
any other sponsor would demand returns on their investment.
They probably wanted Double Fine to make something like Brutal Legend or Psychonauts again, but they let them make junk like Keeper and Klin instead.
They can be harsh when they need to be —
once Uncle Peter (Peter Molyneux) left, Microsoft shut Lionhead down almost immediately.
but if it's just a passion project, of course it's getting cut.
Saying flat-out in the Death Stranding 2 marketing that "this isn't for everyone" feels like it was a bad move in hindsight.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Kojima Productions became independent from Konami in 2015 and has developed the Death Stranding series with funding and cooperation from Sony. “PHYSINT,” the title at the center of this discussion, was announced in February 2024 as a new Sony-backed project, but as of September 2025 it remains at the cast-announcement stage, suggesting it’s still in the early stages of development. Sony, meanwhile, has been tightening cost controls in recent years following the major failure of Concord, studio closures, and layoffs — a context that feeds into both the “development-cost burden” theory and the “planned withdrawal” theory. Opinions on the forum were split over whether the split was initiated by Kojima or decided by Sony, and how Sony’s contractual obligations to AMD regarding the PS6 might factor in — though all of this remains speculation in the absence of any official explanation. It’s worth noting that neither Sony nor Kojima Productions has officially stated a reason for the split, and the thread’s discussion doesn’t go beyond outside speculation.
*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry [Geha]) thread “Seriously analyzing why Sony split with Kojima! The one true reason is revealed! It’s definitely gotta be this!!”.
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