New Physint Details Reveal Its Major Metal Gear Solid Connection

"Beyond the Strand" is the 10th-anniversary exhibition celebrating Kojima Productions, the studio founded by video game veteran and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima. The exhibition is taking place in Tokyo, but lucky fans are posting pictures online, including some that reveal new details about Kojima's upcoming game, Physint.

Physint will mark Kojima's return to the action-espionage genre. It features an ensemble cast, including Bill Skarsgård, Charlee Fraser, Ma Dong-seok, and Minami Hamabe. In past interviews, Kojima said the game will blend video game elements with others drawn from film and television. He also admitted he wanted to return to the stealth-action genre because of popular demand from fans of the Metal Gear franchise. Pictures from the Beyond the Strand exhibition confirmed this beyond any doubt.

Hideo Kojima's Physint Title Explained

The title of Physint may sound a bit obscure to the average Kojima fan, but it's actually very easy to explain. In espionage jargon, the various forms of intelligence collection are categorized with similar terms: Humint for intelligence collected by human agents; Imint for imagery intelligence (collected by satellites, for example); Elint for electronic surveillance; Sigint for signals intelligence, and so on. A document on display at the KojiPro exhibition in Tokyo has the words "A new Cold War begins" printed on the cover, followed by a list of words used to describe intelligence-collection methods.

This internal document includes concept art for the game and was circulated only among the cast and staff. Only the cover is visible to exhibition visitors, but it's still quite an interesting tease. "Physint" could describe the intelligence-collection method players will have to use in the game. While many fans interpret this as "physical intelligence," that may not be the best explanation. Almost every form of intelligence collection could be described as "physical," from stealing documents to snapping pictures in secret.

Given Kojima's most recent work, the Death Stranding series, I'm betting that the word Physint hints at something more arcane and mind-boggling. "Physics intelligence," perhaps, as something that taps into the basic laws of the world to produce supernatural effects.

Physint Will Have Its Own Metal Gear

Easier to interpret are the other Physint-related items on display at the exhibition. One is a small statue of the game's protagonist, played by Bill Skarsgård, in various disguises. The other is the model of a bipedal robot that any Metal Gear fan will easily compare to that franchise's eponymous war machines. It's a very exciting detail because it confirms that Kojima is willing to make Physint a true successor to his most famous franchise, both in spirit and in form.

There is also another "walker" mech model that is more alien-looking than the original Metal Gear design, and bears more resemblance to the technology and creatures appearing in the Death Stranding series. Kojima did say during the game's presentation in 2024 that Physint would be the culmination of his work, so it shouldn't be a surprise if he pulls elements from all of his previous games.

When Kojima split from Konami 10 years ago, one of the things that fans despaired about was that the iconic creator could no longer work on Metal Gear games, as Konami still owns the full rights to the series. The announcement of Physint was like a ray of hope, as the game was touted as a spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid. Now, with a giant bipedal robot confirmed in the game, it looks like Kojima is truly just making his own Metal Gear sequel, Konami be damned.

Still, Physint's development was not untroubled. The game was being co-developed with Sony Interactive Entertainment, but in September 2026 it was announced that the company had pulled funding, allegedly due to concerns over budget. Xbox picked up Physint immediately, and Kojima confirmed that development is proceeding as planned. However, the game is currently not KojiPro's priority, as the studio is focused on its upcoming horror title, OD, which is expected to be released between 2027 and 2028.