Hideo Kojima is making his new espionage game because people wouldn’t stop asking for it: ‘I thought I should change my priorities a bit’

Hideo Kojima at the Tokyo Game Show in 2019.
(Image credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Iconic game designer and the founder of Kojima Productions, Hideo Kojima, has spoken a little bit more about his upcoming action-espionage game, and revealed that he decided to make it largely due to the constant demand from fans

The game, which has the working title ‘Physint,’ is a brand new IP that's being created in collaboration with Sony. Its production is planned to fully kick off after Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which is set to release in 2025. While details are very light on the ground right now, Kojima spoke more about his decision to make the title and elaborated slightly on his wish to “transcend the barriers between film and video games” in a new ‘HideoTube’ presentation.

In the presentation, Kojima reiterated his previous claim that the upcoming project “will be both a game and a movie at the same time,” and added: “Of course, it will be a game. However, if your mother walks in and sees you playing this game, she’ll think you’re watching a movie.” However, he also qualified his statement: “I’m not sure how far we can take it yet.”

Kojima also spoke about his career since he became an independent game designer, and noted that although he’s been focusing on newer ideas, fans online have constantly been asking him to return to the espionage genre. 

“In the last eight years, every day on social media, from users all around the world, people have been asking me to create another Metal Gear and stuff like that,” he said. 

“Then, I fell ill in 2020. It was also during the pandemic, so I was sick and isolated during all of it. I even had surgery. And I thought, ‘I can’t anymore.’ I was at my lowest and felt like I couldn’t go back to making games,” he explained. “I wrote a will, too. And in that moment, I realized that people die. But, I turned 60 last year. I’ll turn 70 in ten years. I hope to never retire. Having said that, if the users desire it so much, I thought I should change my priorities a bit. I still want to do new things, but I decided to make an action-espionage game.”

He went on to say that he receives “many requests from Hollywood to make films,” which he’s turned down since he can’t leave his company behind. Kojima added: “I was in a tough spot, and I talked to Guillermo del Toro about it. And he said, ‘Hideo, what you’re making is already a movie. Keep going as you are.’ His words saved me. And since we’ll be working with so many creators in the business, though the output is a game, it won’t be too different from movies.”

Chances are, it’s going to be a while before we can expect Physint to release, but with horror project OD, and Death Stranding 2 on the horizon, it’s an exciting time for fans of Kojima’s work. 

Be sure to check out our list of upcoming games for even more of the best new releases coming soon. You can also check out our recommendations for the best PC games for titles to dive into right now.

TOPICS
Catherine Lewis
News Writer, TechRadar Gaming

Catherine is a News Writer for TechRadar Gaming. Armed with a journalism degree from The University of Sheffield, she was sucked into the games media industry after spending far too much time on her university newspaper writing about Pokémon and cool indie games, and realising that was a very cool job, actually. She previously spent 19 months working at GAMINGbible as a full-time journalist. She loves all things Nintendo, and will never stop talking about Xenoblade Chronicles. 

Read more
Big Boss stands beside two if his soldiers
Metal Gear Solid 6 - everything we know so far
Sam Porter Bridges cradles a baby
Death Stranding 2 - everything we know
Killzone Shadow Fall
PlayStation CEO hints that classic franchises could be coming back
PS5 Pro feature
New Playstation studio is helmed by veteran Call of Duty dev and has been 'working away in the shadows'
A close up of Naked Snake holding binoculars in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid 3 remake - everything we know
Hitman's Agent 47 strangling someone while dressed as a sailor
‘Never say never’ – we ask Hitman developer if Project 007 is coming to VR, and learn how Hitman VR was fixed for PSVR 2
Latest in Gaming
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #652)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, March 23 (game #651)
The player holding a Shard Card in Fragpunk.
Competitive shooter Fragpunk wowed me with its game-changing Shard Cards, but I can't stand the aggressive monetization
A price cut on the Audeze Maxwell gaming headphones.
If you're after an audiophile gaming headset then don't miss out on the chance to snag the Audeze Maxwell for a lowest-ever price at Argos
An image of the Samsung Display concept games console
Forget the Nintendo Switch 2 – I want a foldable games console
Image of Naoe in AC Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows is hands-down one of the most beautiful PC ports I've ever seen
Latest in News
Teams
Microsoft Teams is finally adding a tiny but crucial feature I honestly can't believe it never had
Apple Watch Ultra 2 move data
Apple is reportedly planning a huge future Apple Watch upgrade to turn it into an AI device with onboard cameras
Apple watch pair with iphone
The Apple Watch SE 3 is apparently in 'serious jeopardy', and the news isn't much better for the Ultra 3 or Series 11
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Samsung's rumored smart specs may be launching before the end of 2025
Apple iPhone 16 Review
The latest iPhone 18 leak hints at a major chipset upgrade for all four models
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #1155)