Hideo Kojima's much-anticipated spiritual successor to Metal Gear, Physint, is still a distant dream, with a release window set for "another five or six years" away. This revelation comes directly from Kojima, who shared his timeline with Le Film Francais, explaining that his ambition to direct a movie is on pause until he completes this new "action espionage" game, his first since his highly publicized departure from Konami in 2015.
Kojima has been inundated with offers since going independent, as he revealed in a statement translated by ResetEra member Red Kong XIX. "Besides Death Stranding 2, there's also Physint in development. That will take me another five or six years," he said. Despite the long wait, Kojima expressed enthusiasm about eventually transitioning to film, citing his lifelong passion for cinema and his desire to pay homage to it. "I grew up with cinema. Directing would be, in a way, a tribute to it. Also, I'm getting older, and I'd prefer to do it while I'm still young!" he added.
Physint was first announced by PlayStation Studios boss Herman Hulst in January 2024, but updates have been scarce since. Initially, Kojima suggested that Physint could also be a movie, but he later clarified on X/Twitter that the project's elements like "look, story, theme, cast, acting, fashion, sound, etc… are all at the next level of ‘Digital Entertainment’ that could be called a ‘movie.’"
Amidst the anticipation for Physint, Kojima Productions is juggling multiple projects. Alongside Physint, they are working on Death Stranding 2 and OD, a new IP in collaboration with Xbox Game Studios, featuring actress Hunter Schafer and filmmaker Jordan Peele. Additionally, Kojima is involved in A24's film adaptation of the original Death Stranding.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is slated for release next month on June 26. The game's star, actor Norman Reedus, recently hinted at his involvement in the upcoming film adaptation, stating in an interview with IGN that he would "of course" play himself in the movie.
In a recent revelation, Kojima shared that he has left his team a USB stick filled with game ideas to be explored after his passing, showcasing his forward-thinking approach even as he continues to innovate with his current projects.
