Xbox's Deal with Hideo Kojima for Physint Was Cheaper Than a Typical Premium Project, Says Asha Sharma

Journalists asked Sharma to apologize to PlayStation for luring the genius to Xbox, to which the head of Microsoft's gaming division simply laughed.

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma spoke to The New York Times about the deal with Hideo Kojima for his new spy game, Physint. According to the publication's sources, the agreement was "significantly lower" than the amount Xbox typically spends on developing a premium game. However, the exact cost of the deal was never disclosed.

Thus, the new information casts doubt on earlier reports that Xbox allegedly allocated about $400 million for Physint. This figure appeared in recent publications, but Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier also previously indicated that the actual deal amount was significantly less than $400 million. The agreement between Xbox and Kojima Productions, in addition to the game itself, included rights related to potential films and television projects, so directly comparing it to a typical game development budget is incorrect.

Interestingly, Sharma reacted quite frankly to the project's transition from PlayStation to Xbox. The New York Times writes that during the conversation about Physint, the head of Xbox was literally speechless for a while, after which she laughed at the question of whether she should apologize to Sony. Sharma then shrugged and stated that she was glad Kojima chose Xbox.

Physint was initially presented as a project created by Kojima Productions in collaboration with PlayStation. However, in June 2026, Sony ceased funding the game, after which Kojima began looking for a new partner. In September, Xbox announced that it would take on publishing duties for the project. At the same time, Kojima Productions' relationship with Sony is not completely severed: Sharma specifically emphasized that "competition and cooperation can coexist".

The exact financial terms of Sony's previous agreement with Kojima Productions are also unknown. Therefore, at this time, it cannot be reliably stated how much Sony was willing to spend on Physint, how much it had already invested in the project before funding ceased, or how much the entire game development will ultimately cost.

It is worth noting separately that the NYT's wording concerns the Xbox deal specifically, and not necessarily the full budget of Physint throughout its development. Therefore, concluding that the entire game will cost less than a certain amount is premature. Xbox has not named a specific project budget or the maximum amount of future investments.