PHYSINT Revealed New Details at the Tokyo Game Show 2026

Hideo Kojima's PHYSINT is entering a new phase after major changes. The action-espionage game now has a lead actor, a new publishing partner in XBOX, and new questions about the technology it will use. The biggest recent update came at the XBOX Tokyo Game Show 2026, where Kojima Productions announced that Bill Skarsgård will play the lead role.

He joins a cast that already includes Charlee Fraser, Don Lee, and Minami Hamabe. Kojima Productions also showed a new poster with Skarsgård and Fraser. Skarsgård is best known for playing Pennywise in the IT movies, and he has also appeared in Nosferatu and John Wick: Chapter 4. Adding him brings another well-known Hollywood actor, as Kojima Productions works to blend cinema with interactive entertainment in PHYSINT.

The casting news follows an even bigger behind-the-scenes change.

PHYSINT was first announced in January 2024 as a PlayStation project. That partnership has ended, and XBOX was officially named as the new publisher in September 2026. Kojima Productions said PlayStation unexpectedly told them in June that it would stop working on the project.

Kojima then spent about three months searching for a new partner before making a deal with XBOX, according to his public comments. XBOX and Kojima Productions were already working together on OD - KNOCK, so PHYSINT builds on that existing relationship instead of starting from scratch. XBOX is now publishing both Kojima projects.

Reports have circulated about why PlayStation left the project, with some saying it was due to production costs, deadlines, or business expectations. However, these are claims, not confirmed facts. Kojima Productions has responded to the rumors, saying some statements about the company's finances, PHYSINT's production, and its relationship with PlayStation did not come from official sources—development technology.

Death Stranding and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach were made with Guerrilla's Decima Engine. But because PHYSINT split from PlayStation, some people wonder whether Kojima Productions can still use that technology. Unreal Engine 5 is one possible alternative.

This idea gained attention after PHYSINT's latest promotional material seemed to reference Epic's MetaHuman technology and Unreal Engine copyrights.

Still, this does not officially confirm that the game is using Unreal Engine 5. More importantly, Kojima has said that the team has not decided on an engine yet. He described PHYSINT as still being experimental, with the team working on things like the game system, enemy AI, visuals, character scans, and other technology.

Use PHYSINT is not simply a project waiting for a new publisher. Kojima has called the game an action-espionage title that aims to redefine the genre. Kojima Productions says it will use the latest technology and feature an international cast.

The studio also describes PHYSINT as its third original IP and the result of Kojima's long career in game development. PHYSINT has drawn a lot of attention because of its connection to Metal Gear. While it is not a Metal Gear game, Kojima has presented it as a return to action-espionage, the genre he is best known for.

How PHYSINT will approach that genre is still unclear; details on its gameplay, story, platforms, and release window are scarce as Kojima Productions continues to work on the game's systems and technology. PHYSINT remains several years away, and neither Kojima Productions nor XBOX has announced a specific launch window or final platform lineup.

For now, the main confirmed changes are clear.

Bill Skarsgård officially leads the cast alongside Charlee Fraser, Don Lee, and Minami Hamabe. XBOX is now the publisher after PlayStation left, and Kojima Productions is continuing development with this new setup. The engine situation, meanwhile, remains an open question rather than a confirmed switch to Unreal Engine 5.

All of this makes PHYSINT especially interesting right now. The project has changed publishers, added a lead actor, and started a new chapter with XBOX. But the core technology and many gameplay details are still in development.

With Kojima Productions still working on the game and XBOX now supporting it, the next big reveal could finally show what Kojima's new action-espionage game is shaping up to be.