Xbox paying fraction of $400 million Kojima quoted Sony for Physint

Xbox is paying considerably less than the $400 million budget Hideo Kojima originally quoted Sony for Physint, his upcoming action-espionage title and spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid.

The inflated figure emerged Friday when Christopher Dring of The Game Business reported on his podcast that Xbox was funding Kojima's project with a $400 million budget. Dring later clarified on X/Twitter that Microsoft's actual deal is "quite a bit less" than what Kojima had requested from Sony. He noted his initial reporting covered a range "from $300 million to $600 million, although it's $400 million that is the figure that is bandied around."

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier described Microsoft's negotiated figure as "significantly less than this," while Windows Central's Jez Corden stated Xbox is paying only a "fraction" of the original amount, though no precise figure has been disclosed by any source.

Sony pulled funding from Physint in June after the project exceeded budget and missed deadlines during months of negotiation. Xbox subsequently stepped in to fund and publish the game, securing the deal alongside movie and TV licensing rights for Physint. The agreement also includes improved terms for Kojima Productions' horror game OD.

When asked about Physint's platform plans, Kojima remained noncommittal. "I think all of that will be announced at a later time," he said. "I'm not sure yet, and I can't really say." While Xbox recently confirmed some exclusives like Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution won't release on PlayStation, other Xbox titles including Forza Horizon 6 and Fable remain planned for PS5.