- Earlier reports claimed that PHYSINT has a massive $400 million budget.
- However, insider Jez Corden claims that PHYSINT costs far less than $400 million.
- Jason Schreier of Bloomberg also reported that Xbox signed PHYSINT for significantly less than the reported figure.
A couple of days ago, rumors emerged online that Hideo Kojima’s PHYSINT reportedly has a whopping $400 million budget. However, a new report from industry insider Jez Corden suggests that Xbox’s budget for PHYSINT is significantly lower than what has been reported online.
Xbox’s PHYSINT Deal With Kojima Reportedly Costs a Fraction of $400 Million
Earlier, Chris Dring of the Game Business claimed that Kojima’s PHYSINT reportedly has a $400 million budget, and gamers began to wonder whether that was why PlayStation tried to cancel PHYSINT.
Some even speculated that Xbox’s recent wave of layoffs was intended to financially support Kojima’s upcoming action-espionage title. Insider Jez Corden stepped in and cleared the air, stating PHYSINT’s budget is much lower and that both Xbox and Kojima are working with a ‘fraction’ of the reported $400 million figure, according to his sources.
“I was told similarly by first-hand sources with direct knowledge of the contracts that the figure for PHYSINT is far lower than what is being reported here. It has been suggested to me that the “$400 million” figure is potentially what Sony and PlayStation might’ve been on the hook for until they cancelled the deal. Xbox and Kojima are building towards their Xbox projects on a “fraction” of this reported figure,” Jez Corden said.
Jason Schreier of Bloomberg, who previously reported that Sony ditched Kojima’s PHYSINT over budget concerns, exclusivity, and missed deadlines, shared a similar sentiment previously. Soon after the PHYSINT budget report spread like wildfire, Schreier commented on a ResetEra forum post.
Although Schreier was initially hesitant to discuss the budget numbers without firsthand sources, he said his Xbox source told him that the company signed the PHYSINT deal for significantly less than $400 million:
“I am hesitant to get into exact numbers without seeing documentation or corroborating them with multiple firsthand sources, as always. All that said, someone at Xbox with firsthand knowledge of the deal told me that they signed Physint for significantly less than this.”
Now, two reliable industry insiders have contradicted the initial $400 million figure for PHYSINT. However, neither Xbox nor Kojima Productions confirmed the game’s total budget at the moment. Earlier, Kojima Productions also urged fans to remain skeptical of PHYSINT rumors.
In addition, Jez Corden claimed that Xbox has already secured PHYSINT’s movie and TV licenses after signing a deal with Kojima Productions. So, no matter the budget, PHYSINT is shaping up to be Kojima’s biggest-selling game ever.
Both PHYSINT and OD’s development are progressing smoothly. So, it may only be a matter of time before Kojima unveils everything we need to know about his upcoming games.
