Hideo Kojima thought up Physint when he became sick during the pandemic and "realised that a lot of people wanted me to make something like Metal Gear"
While Kojima strayed away from the genre with Death Stranding and is taking a wild step with OD – an upcoming horror game that's being made with director Jordan Peele for Xbox Game Studios – Physint marks a return to the style that put Kojima on the map. Speaking to Edge Magazine, he explained why he decided to return to the genre and finally make that Metal Gear spiritual successor.
"Of course, I have lots of new ideas that I want to create," Kojima said, adding, "But when I became sick during the pandemic, I realised that a lot of people wanted me to make something like Metal Gear. That’s when I had the idea for a new espionage game. I reflected, and thought the idea was good." Kojima is producing the game alongside Sony, and Kojima also said that the publisher also thought it was a great idea. "We explored many options, and we agreed on doing Physint."
Kojima has in the past described Physint as something that will "transcend the barrier between films and video games", and he spoke about this idea when talking to Edge. "This made me think that these multiplatform projects will help the studio live on – not just through games but in other media too. We’re exploring other forms of entertainment as well, so we are a game company, but not only a game company. This is phase two for Kojima Productions."