A new episode of Hideo Kojima’s radio show, KOJI10, premiered recently, and the legendary creator of Metal Gear Solid discussed a wide range of topics. Surprisingly, that included new information on Physint, now published by Xbox after PlayStation backed out due to various alleged concerns.
While the Metal Gear influence is plainly obvious, Kojima said that it’s “about spies, but I want plenty of new ideas and a different kind of spy action.”
He also revealed how he met Bill Skarsgård, who plays the protagonist’s role, and that the latter was a “huge fan”, “going all the way back to Metal Gear.” “I pitched him the game, and he agreed to do it. It all came together.”
For now, Kojima Productions has finished scanning him, with the director noting that, “We have to scan actors early, because processing the data takes a long time.” Filming will start next year, but he noted how Skarsgård, a method actor, is “so eager he doesn’t want to wait. He keeps asking me for the script.
“I have the plot ready. But he wants to know the lines and how his character speaks. He asks me to write it, but I’m like, ‘Hold on!’ He wants to start preparing now. That’s how deeply he gets into a role.”
Regarding the poster with actor Charlee Fraser, he said their chemistry is “very important.” “We tested their on-screen chemistry and did a camera test. We scanned them in full makeup. Their clothes were just for reference.
“These aren’t the final costumes. We captured how fabric wrinkles and catches light. We’ll change the designs.” This is all for a “texture reference.” “How a garment folds or how a belt creases. The final version could look completely different. So heads up, those are not their costumes.”
Perhaps the most endearing part is Kojima saying that Physint is a project for his 40th anniversary working in the video games industry. That importance certainly underscores why he’s pushing hard to make it, despite the deal with Xbox being “substantially below” that of developing a premium title, per Xbox CEO Asha Sharma.
Physint was announced in January 2024 and marks the first action-espionage title that Kojima has worked on since Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (such elements in Death Stranding notwithstanding). He revealed several of the cast members, including Fraser, Ma Dong-seok, and Minami Hamabe, in September 2025. A release date has yet to be announced, and while on good terms with Sony after their split, it’s unconfirmed whether it will launch on PlayStation.
