This is an IGN opinion piece from Simon Cardy, who is always happy to see creators like Hideo Kojima being allowed to push video games forward with new ideas, wherever their home may be.
Microsoft’s hijacking of Hideo Kojima’s Physint is without a doubt the company’s biggest PR win in a year of disastrous news. But this short-term victory could transform into something more difficult, because Physint could well turn out to be one of Xbox’s riskiest ever gambles.
There are reasons to be confident if you’re Xbox. For one, Kojima’s track record matches up against most prestigious video game creators, at least from a critical perspective. For seconds, it would certainly have come as something of an embarrassing shock to Kojima that PlayStation would deem his project not worthy of completion. And so if you’re Microsoft, the thought of Kojima developing a spiritual successor to his PlayStation-associated Metal Gear Solid series with a newfound chip on his shoulder must certainly have been a tempting proposition when talks first started some months back. It’s a near-unprecedented turn of events, with the only real analogue taking place 30 years ago when Final Fantasy 7 moved home from Nintendo to PlayStation partway through its development, a transition that was as formative for the original PlayStation console’s legacy as Kojima’s own Metal Gear Solid.
But while there’s a victory in tempting the belle of the ball away from their previous date, Xbox’s big swing is far from a surefire hit. Aside from conjuring memories of Snake’s adventures, we have no real way of knowing what Physint actually is yet. All we have is a promise of “Action Espionage” and one piece of artwork showcasing a shadowy, jacketed protagonist. Any confidence in Physint emanates purely from Kojima’s track record. From a public perspective, that record is very strong – even the divisive Metal Gear Solid 4 is considered a masterpiece by some – but Xbox has a better understanding of Kojima’s work than even his biggest fans.
That’s because it has access to OD, his current project. And if Xbox has confidence in Physint, that is likely informed by the fact that OD must be shaping up nicely. Surely if Kojima’s new slice of anthological horror wasn’t tracking to be something special, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and her leadership team wouldn’t be so keen on investing further in his projects. We still don’t know when we’ll be playing what looks like a spiritual successor to P.T., but one unusual byproduct of this Physint bombshell is my newfound excitement for it.
The quality of Physint itself isn’t the only issue Microsoft has to deal with, though. Investing presumably millions of dollars during a period of mass restructuring is not great for morale. And If you’re one of the thousand people reportedly still yet to lose their job at Microsoft over the next year, then I’m sure there’s a certain amount of justified anger to be felt at seeing money be sent in such a luxurious manner here.
Then there are the parallels between Kojima’s work and the development staff that Xbox has let go this year. Arkane, creators of some of the best stealth-action games since Snake entered retirement, will no doubt be looking on as this deal unfolds with bemusement, confusion, or anger. Earlier this summer, the news came of Microsoft’s intention to relinquish control of the immersive sim studio, alongside the likes of Double Fine, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, and Undead Labs. Right now, the future of Arkane’s current project – an action stealth game set in the world of Marvel’s Blade – is as yet unknown. You can’t help but feel that some people inside of Arkane’s Lyon headquarters must be filled with a level of frustration over seeing their project pushed to the side by Xbox, only for money to be thrown Kojima Productions’ way to build a whole new stealth game from the ground up.
If the Deathloop developer’s future as an independent studio, or with another publisher’s backing, yields a well-received Blade game, or even a brand new stealth project (my fingers will remain forever crossed for Dishonored 3), and Physint doesn’t reach the lofty expectations that come with a Kojima creation, then the egg may well end up on Xbox’s face.
As of now, the yolk is very much on PlayStation, as it would appear that Sony’s loss is everyone else’s gain. Xbox gets a prestigious name to hang its hat on, and thanks to Microsoft’s funding, Kojima gets to continue working on his passion project. But there’s no guarantee that Physint will be the second coming of Metal Gear Solid. I’m not saying I don’t think Kojima can recreate that same magic — I reviewed and loved Death Stranding 2, which more than slightly borrows from The Phantom Pain’s stealth-action sandbox — but there’s no denying that even if it’s critically well received, Physint is not locked in to be a bestseller.
And that’s the bottom line of what Sony has been about across the PS5 generation. Ingenuity and innovation have seemingly been pushed aside in favour of maximising profits. It’s likely no coincidence that Death Stranding 2, a rare PlayStation 5 exclusive that shows creative ambition, will, as of now, be the last Kojima game to hit a Sony console — a fact still hard to believe when you consider just how much 1998’s Metal Gear Solid shaped the original PlayStation and the cinematic aspirations of that console and its successor’s libraries. As of now, we’ve heard very little about how DS2 has done sales-wise, which is likely not a good sign of its commercial performance. With Bloomberg reporting that Physint had already missed deadlines and was looking to come in well over budget, it couldn’t be much clearer that this was an economic decision rather than a creative one. If Physint doesn’t make a healthy profit for Microsoft, will this still look like Xbox getting a win over its old rival?
The console wars as we once knew them felt all but over, but this one game has the power to reignite the competition; a crucial playing piece added to the board that could shape the future perception of each platform holder. We’re years away from knowing who this gamble will pay off for most, though. Kojima, as he tries to prove whether he can reinvent the stealth-action genre once again? Xbox and its faith in one of gaming’s most influential creators at the expense of jettisoning other talent? Or PlayStation, who perhaps saw the writing on the wall well before anyone else, at the expense of appearing creatively short-sighted in the moment? I guess we’ll keep waiting, huh.