Highlights

  • Hideo Kojima believes that moms won't be able to tell the difference between PHYSINT and a movie.
  • The upcoming tactical espionage game has been repeatedly described as a blend of interactive entertainment and film.
  • To that end, the project will see Kojima Productions closely collaborate with Sony Pictures. Kojima himself is still "not sure" how close to an actual movie the game will end up being.

Hideo Kojima believes that moms will not know the difference between PHYSINT and a movie, having said as much in a recent interview. The remark was offered as part of a somewhat wider look at the current Kojima Productions agenda that also saw the famed game designer share some new thoughts on everything that's presently on his plate.

PHYSINT is a Metal Gear Solid competitor that was announced during the latest State of Play stream on January 31. Kojima described the project as "a strong collaboration" with Sony while pointing to the Japanese group's massive presence in the music and movie industry in the same breath. Some fans took this to mean that PHYSINT will blend the line between interactive entertainment and other media formats even more than Kojima's past titles did, especially since the announcement also saw him outright describe it as both a game and a movie.

death stranding 2 sam and baby
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The game designer reiterated and expanded on that point in a recent interview centered on his upcoming projects. The video saw him suggest that the movie comparison might be quite literal by stating that it wasn't a coincidence that the PHYSINT announcement was recorded at Sony Pictures, the Japanese group's filmmaking branch. "If your mother walks in and sees you playing this game, she'll think you're watching a movie," Kojima said around the 49:25 mark.

Even Kojima Is Still Not Sure How Close PHYSINT Will Be to a Movie

But how close the experience will be to an actual movie is something not even he knows. "I'm not sure how far we can take it yet," the game designer said. The interview also saw him reveal that he decided to make PHYSINT because of how many fans have been asking for another tactical espionage game since he left Konami in 2015, and because he rethought his priorities after falling ill in the middle of the 2020 pandemic to the point he even required surgery. Although the sickness made him consider quitting gamemaking, Kojima credited Guillermo del Toro for "saving" him by convincing him to keep at it.

If your mother walks in and sees you playing this game, she'll think you're watching a movie.

Kojima Productions logo

All of that eventually led to PHYSINT being greenlit, although the game itself is still a long way out. During its original announcement, Kojima said that the project is currently in pre-production, whereas active development will only start after his other PlayStation exclusive, Death Stranding 2, is out. The sequel to the 2019 action adventure starring Norman Reedus has yet to receive a release date, although its latest State of Play trailer revealed it's targeting a 2025 launch.

PHYSINT Is Likely To Launch on PS6

Given how Kojima Productions is currently also working on the Xbox console exclusive OD and taking the steadily elongating AAA development cycles into account, it seems unlikely that PHYSINT will be hitting the market prior to 2030, at the very earliest. That time horizon and the game's dedication to using "cutting-edge technology" help explain why Kojima himself is currently not sure how close PHYSINT will manage to be to a movie, as that will likely hinge on tech that may not even exist yet. The game is also likely to debut on the PS6 for much the same reasons, though its PS5 release is not out of the question.