Bloomberg Report Details Why PlayStation Dropped Physint Project

According to a Bloomberg investigation, disappointing sales figures, spiraling costs, deadline slippage and worries over a short exclusivity window prompted PlayStation to cancel the unannounced Kojima Productions title Physint.

The decision, first reported this week, severs a long-standing relationship between the Japanese developer and Sony, with Microsoft now moving in to publish the game instead.

Physint Canceled Due to Performance, Budget and Exclusivity Concerns

Bloomberg’s story, drawn from people reportedly familiar with the matter, identifies the lukewarm commercial results of Hideo Kojima’s previous PlayStation releases as a central factor. Both entries in the Death Stranding series reportedly failed to hit internal revenue targets. Several additional issues contributed to the termination.

The project had already missed multiple internal milestones and was projected to exceed its allocated budget substantially, despite still being years from release. Sony executives were also reportedly reluctant to commit hundreds of millions of dollars to a title that would remain an exclusive for only a limited period.

Xbox steps in as new partner for Kojima.

The surprise split between Hideo Kojima and PlayStation became public this week, after which Microsoft confirmed it would take over publishing duties on the project.