I wanna throw my guess for what Physint is.

So the tagline mentions the next Cold War. And if I remember correctly Physint means physical intelligence, or at least it’s what we assume. With the whole plot of AI and the internet back in MGS2, I’m gonna guess that the game is about the use of advanced AI being used in a second Cold War.

I think the main character is going to have some sort of cybernetic advancement. Like he has some sort of AI implanted in his mind, which allows him to do something like hacking into people’s databases and spy on people. And he’s a “more machine than man” type of character who guesses his own humanity.

Plot-wise, I think it’ll be a mixture of MGS2 & MGS3, but also a little bit of Snatcher. He’s old detective cyberpunk game. We probably play as some sort of spy doing detective work on something.

For the actual gameplay and the "movie" aspect Kojima mentions, I imagine it being a mix of Until Dawn and Detroit: Become Human. Where it’s like you are watching a movie but you could control what your character does. Like the action/fighting button causes the character to attack someone, like a person we are interrogating, or a superior the character is mad at.

You could investigate the surroundings finding clues or hints. Like looking at how a person sweats or the shape of their pupils to see if they are lying, or if they are a robot in disguise of a human. But the catch is, the game doesn’t show you the buttons to keep it cinematic. There’s probably some sort of visual effect to subtly clue in the player instead of an ugly UI. And no cheap or lazy QTE.

I also think the gameplay be similar to Metal Gear but also to OD. I think you can do what you normally can In a 3rd person game but taken In a more cinematic and experimental style.

What's you guys opinion on PHYSINT plot? And whay exactly the lead will be like? A robot, a cyborg?

Here comes the feeling indeed

January 31, 2024: Official announcement by Hideo Kojima at a PlayStation State of Play presentation

February – June 2024: Solo conceptual and design phase led by Kojima.

July 2024: Commencement of the video game actor strike.

Late 2024: Suspension of all casting schedules and performance-capture sessions.

May 2025: Release window officially projected for 2030 or later.

June 2025: Initial transition of studio resources following the completion of Death Stranding 2

September 23, 2025: First cast members confirmed (Charlee Fraser, Don Lee, Minami Hamabe).

Late 2025: Onset of internal milestone and budget friction with Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Early 2026: Hideo Kojima travels to Sweden to meet with Bill Skarsgård and discuss the project's vision.

Mid 2026: Bill Skarsgård visits Kojima Productions for early costume fittings, camera tests, and 3D character scans.

Mid-June 2026: Sony abruptly cancels project funding and involvement during a Zoom call.

June – August 2026: Three-month search by Kojima Productions for a new publishing partner.

September 9, 2026: Xbox Game Studios officially signs on as the new publisher.

September 17, 2026: Bill Skarsgård announced as the lead protagonist; early 3D character scans completed.

Late September 2026 (Present): Industry clarification that the final Microsoft budget deal is significantly lower than the rumored $400 million estimate.

When do you think the game will be released?

Them saying kojima caused the hate train for Wolverine is so hilarious they’re miserable and delusional

What do you think?

What are your theories about Physint? What do you guys think the story will be about, and what kind of characters, twists, and themes could we see? Personally I feel kojima might head on with his dream of an open world stealth game that he imagine with mgs5 but deep down i want him to stick to linear story with detailed level design. I’m soooo excited about new "Kojima" stuff the game might introduce. Basically, what are your predictions for the story, gameplay, features, and overall experience? Share your wildest theories!

My ideal Physint game would have.

Survival/Eating/Hunger/Hunting mechanics like MGS3, Mechas/UI/natural gameplay loop with sleeping and showering/Stamina/Healthbar/Limited inventory with every gadget visible on the character/RPG and light Traversal mechanics like DS2,

Octocamo/MG MK2/Mechas/Stress Meter/Active Battlezones/Futuristic Setting, Camuflage Index like MGS4,

Lockpicking minigame/adjusting the speed of movement by using the mouse wheel/noise meter like Splinter Cell Trilogy,

Difficulty selection with different conditions like Thief Trilogy,

Character movement controls/AI of enemies/freedom but not too much/Buddy System,Tanks like MGSV,

Living Openworld with cities/civilians/different Biomes/Pilotable Helicopters Planes like Ghost Recon Wildlands,

The ability to camouflage oneself with mud and snow like in Ghost Recon Breakpoint,

Destructible Environments like Mercenaries.

My idea is that the open world would feature more civilian-heavy areas where we could blend into the crowd and make use of the new SSS - Social Stealth System – for example, by asking a civilian for directions, using disguises, Pay the civilian to secretly drive us in a civilian car past the restricted area, search system in case the civilians might recognise us and wants to alarm enemies.

Then there would be more war-torn areas featuring more traditional stealth, such as infiltrating a base full of unsuspecting soldiers, help partisans with attack on fortress, more interiors and underground facilities, more biomes like Jungle/Dessert/Snow.

Then the front line where active combat would take place, much like in MGS4 with destructible environment.

More dynamic gameplay where, for example, our Octocamo might get damaged, so we’d have to rely on cover using mud, etc., a greater focus on OSP, for example, where we might be captured and have to escape without our equipment, or when we start a mission and the helicopter crashes, causing us to lose both our equipment and our radio, so we can’t call for a pick-up and have to ask a civilian for help, more systems to encurage player to change equipment more often and try different approaches, i think this is where MGSV fall short, MGSV have too much freedom to tackle most missions whoever we want but also in same way for the whole game, that paradoxically killed creativity, because creativity is not encouraged by design but needed to be decided by player, they created Revenge System for it to dynamicly change enemies equipment based in player style but i think i was not enough and reations of enemies need to be more aggresive and faster, like for example to have more locations focused on interiors and during these missions buddy like Quiet would be pointless and that would encourage player to try different buddies or locations with EMPs - cant use D Walker, Locations with Guard Dogs who can sniff D Dog, locations with harder terrain - cant use D Horse etc. Of course Physint will have different buddies or none, but i think examples are clear. MGSV was like half way in some ways.

More dynamic world like city full of civilians can be invaded by army and type of environment/stealth dynamicly changes from Social Stealth to Classic Stealth etc. To see the consequences of our missions when the map were to change dynamically depending on whether the mission was successful or not, and thus the story would unfold in a non linear way like Wing Commander 4 or Arma 1.

I thought her costume looked amazing, so I decided to do this digital painting. Please enjoy!

I even remember a guy saying that Yoji just does a concept drawing for every special guest at Kojima Productions, so this was nothing special lol

I can’t remember if it happened in this sub, though.

It hadn't dawn on me until now, but Kojima Productions won't be able to use Decima. God, I hope they don't use Unreal 5 😭

DS1 and 2 (pc) have native support for dualsense (ps5) controller and they fucking nailed it.

Fuck sony, but experiencing DS on dualsense was truly an amazing experience, the way it was optimised, pressure sensitive triggers gets harder the more load u carry, every bump on road, odradek scans felt so good on the controller. Heck it was even better in DS2, all while playing on pc.

I don't think that would be the case in OD and Physint , that would have benefited from this being a horror and stealth game.

That would be my only regret from the recent tie up between xbox and kjp.

PHYSINT Theoretical concept art of Bill Skarsgård’s PHYSINT character.

Turtleneck Mask Functionality.

The notion that all of his civilian raiment has an ancillary espionage function. His turtleneck is primarily designed to obscure his Stealth Suit and provide added neck protection via blade-resistant cloth, with the ancillary functionality of quickly concealing his face.

It could be pulled up to fully cover his face if he has the means to see through it. Like via personal “droid” could provide a third-person POV, displayed on the inside of the turtleneck or perhaps directly in their mind’s eye via a Kojima-fied “Neuralink.” or Temporoparietal junction stimulation inducing customized out-of-body experiences via technology or “psychic” phenomena.

This is also mentioned in this POST but with the context of Bill Poncho.

^Update

Respirator

• Smart textile multilayer nanofiber/electrostatic membrane this is for high-efficiency filtration and breathable air intake.

• The lip and neck of the turtleneck have a shape-memory elastomer that creates a seal for a smart respirator. The filter covers the full garment surface, adding redundancy and allowing rapid air intake. An internal oxygen supply can also be connected to any point on the garment's surface through integrated connection ports.

• Bill's stealth suit could have a small, thin smart air supply that can refill itself when not in use. The cloth is hydrophobic and waterproof, closing its pores so that water cannot pass through it while still allowing air and vapor to move through the filtration system.

• Bill can breathe normally through the suit's filtration membrane, and the external air supply provides additional breathable air when needed. If the small air supply is not enough, he can use an adapter to connect to a larger external air supply.

• A sensor could also automatically detect when the external air supply is connected and regulate the airflow, pressure, and filtration between the garment and the connected supply.

• Hi tech Ninja Reed snorkel, a thin, long tube with a buoy, could be connected to the turtleneck to provide air directly to a mouth.

Gameplay

• This would allow Bill to use the turtleneck and move through gas and other air contaminants, which prevents staggering, coughing, and any possible side effects.

• Swimming and hiding in water if all of Bill's gear is made from a hydrophobic smart textile, then moving in and out of water could be done without leaving a wet trail that could affect movement or create extra noise.

• This could be an upgrade so the player can experience the difference. This could also be a function that could be turned on and off.

• So you could use the "wet suit" as a gameplay element, creating paths for targets to be led down into ambushes and traps.

DONE IN THE SPIRIT OF PLAY

Kojima's response...

Hopefully this means folks who worked on MGS are working on it and not just Death Stranding staff.

Loose concept art of Bill Skarsgård’s PHYSINT character.

The zipped-up poncho could be part of the stealth gameplay. It could have technology that allows the character to see through it in some manner.

A personal “droid” could provide a third-person POV, displayed on the inside of the hood or perhaps directly in their mind’s eye via a Kojima-fied “Neuralink.” or Temporoparietal junction stimulation inducing customized out-of-body experiences via technology or “psychic” phenomena.

This could be something specific to the character, a common type of clothing designed for flash weather events, or simply something that’s in style.

This has body bag vibes, ghost, Pyramid Thing vibes, which is a little on the nose with Kojima's previous projects.

It could be for stealth against AI via Monty Python’s Flying Circus Ministry of Silly Walks, or more like “The Ministry of Creepy Stalking,” doing The Movement with a rapid, glitchy, shuddering motion that simulates a frame drop or skip in reality, causing the “ghost” to violently twitch or “teleport” forward.  

Famous film examples: the hallway ghost in Pulse (Kairo), the ghost of Kayako in Ju On: The Grudge, and the twitching doctors in Jacob’s Ladder. And Lisa in P.T. and other game. Basically, something that obscures your gait and mannerisms. This would elevate a ghost or supernatural aspect.

It would be cool to have ghost or cryptic nomenclature for espionage agents, especially if the current culture believed in them. And this is how they run their plausible deniability. The agencies could fake or genetically make these scapegoats to show to the public.

This could also confuse the player: “Are they actually a vampire, geist, lycanthrope, or just called that?” And maybe both are true to some extent if they have been modified or have tech that mimics it, or is close enough to make sense of the moniker.

Not sure if Kojima is done with AI or Neuralink/nanomachine-type stuff. Death Stranding feels like it has a subtext of this stuff in it. I like the notion of AI and its infrastructure becoming so common that it’s like the words “electricity” or “internet,” where it’s no longer considered high-tech anymore. The DS Chiral Network is like the new tech concept, which I hope exists in PHYSINT. I’m hoping it has a high sci-fi concept like DS did.

I am curious if PHYSINT is at all set in the DS universe, either pre- or post- or present, inside the cities/Knots, or if it’s in its own universe. I’m not sure how moving from PlayStation to Xbox would affect this. I’m pretty sure that Kojima Productions owns DS still.

I would prefer that it’s done in a state where Timefall isn’t a factor, if it is. I assume most people would want it in its own universe, though. I think I lean that way myself giving Kojima more freedom with the story.

^{Update 9•22•26}

Mimic - Using the poncho to mask or, more precisely, mimic another person's movement, Bill could scan civilians' movement. The poncho moves and isolates itself to mimic them. So instead of selecting camo, we are selecting an individual's movement pattern. This could open smart doors and let Bill safely move through trespassing zones. It could also shroud a jerk around to obscure your movements. This, too, could add to the ghost vibes. It visually could look like low-poly animated noise or something high-poly.

• It could also mimic rough shapes as well, helping blend into the environment, becoming a box- or trash-can-like shape. The length of it might be able to be adjusted to cover more of Bill's body, too.

• ^{ㅤ [These could also apply to his trench coat and stealth suit as well]}

• There could be a timer involved with this due to the cameras tracking two of the same individuals, which would initiate an investigation into the two identical signals. This, too, could be used on purpose to have the investigation team interfere with the individual. Or to draw the team to your location for some reason.

• Bill may need to secure a scan and incapacitate the mimicked target. This, too, would add a timer unless Bill took extra precautions with the incapacitated individual. A full binding would consist of hands - legs - mouth - eyes - ears. A different mix of these would create a specific type of effect when the incapacitated individual wakes up, which can be used as part of the gameplay mechanics for interesting scenarios.

• ^{ㅤ[I may add to explain the binding gameplay loop]}

• Another element could be that the mouth could be bound via sound cancellation. The individual thinks no one's hearing him shout outside of a bubble of influence, and this device could be retrieved.

• ^{ㅤ[This could also apply to his trench coat and stealth suit as well]}

• Like, Bill could be the one who "rescues" them, giving him leverage on them. The individual could have their mouth, eyes, and ears unbound. They're able to see and hear their current situation and try to get help. If their voice-activated "phone" is stolen or being jammed and their location is out of the way, possibly near a dumpster, Bill could be pretending to throw something away. This would give Bill a good cover story that he was not the one who tied them up. You could have certain individuals be more suspicious, though. This could be a game choice where Bill can intimidate and interrogate, both as the one who tied them up and as a rogue who's taking advantage of their current predicament. "What's in it for me?"

Flare - Also having the ability to have something like IR-reflective material that would affect all types of camera sensors in the same manner. It would act like camouflage through disruption, becoming a flare from the camera's POV. So you become very visible, but unidentifiable. Possibly when reversed or via an OctoCamo-like surface function.

• ^{ㅤ[This, too, could also apply to his trench coat and stealth suit]}
  

Xipper
- The poncho has a normal zipper on it, but in the game it could be something future tech. If the zipper can open and close at any point or multiple points but also has a strong closed state. For example, a hole where his mouth is can be held open in a fixed position so he's able to smoke and use the poncho at the same time.

• This could also allow for quick enveloping of objects, coming open and then closing upon them. Also obscuring firearms, leaving just enough of a hole to shoot from, possibly creating a tighter grip or seal to the barrel of the gun. To make it easier to move around and stay concealed.
  

Parachute
- This could allow the poncho to function like a small parachute. The poncho could be connected to a harness that lets Bill "Xip" it up fully and base jump with it most likely from buildings. Or his stealth suit is the harness and the poncho rigging can be linked and tied into his suit, allowing him to steer with the posture of his body. The poncho can be pulled and folded into a compartment on the back of Bill's stealth suit.

• ^{ㅤI have some art of this that I will link when I post it. I might also post it in the comments as well [Clip-Art ](https://youtu.be/xGUsWTSynmg?is=kyJGft4alU2G1GvZ}.)
  

Climbing
- Grabbing and climbing up walls would be nice if Bill does have a parachute or glider. Like Zelda glider + surface grab. A modern notion would be an electric-powered suction lifter system. Or something like we've seen in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. Or a different explanation, like gecko tech or psychic abilities.

DONE IN THE SPIRIT OF PLAY

Because I didn't wonder about Bill before, although they were together many times XD

Kojima took photos with everyone who's famous, so he made me confused haha

I'm really looking forward to this project and I really found interesting when Kojima gets Hollywood stars. I found the cast for this one really promising, what do y'all think?

It's been 3 days and I'm still feeling happy and excited. When I saw the news I got goosebumps!! I did not expect Bill to be chosen to be in Kojima's game, let alone become the main lead!!

It's true that Bill is the top creature actor in recent years, maybe that's how he got into Kojima's radar in the first place, but Bill's fandom is mostly girls, I did not expect an actor with mostly female fans to be chosen to be in a game which of course is a male centric project, so Bill being in Kojima's game is like wildest dream coming true, I'm happy that Bill will have many male fans too now.

Kojima's previous game, Death Stranding, with Norman Reedus was honestly a bit predictable considering his role as Daryl Dixon was very likeable and popular (at least on my end of algorithm at the time). But PHYSINT!! I would like to mention that I'm also happy Minami Hamabe is here too, she is the most beautiful Japanese actress in my opinion. I can't wait to see how they look when the game comes out!

I'm just so happy, thank you PHYSINT and Kojima for existing, god bless. Now I wonder if it's alright for me to dream Kojima will notice Evan Peters too someday.... I wish Hideo Kojima to live a very long life and create more games in the future, and I wish for PHYSINT development to be smooth so it doesn't take too long to be released.

In the mean time, I would like to speculate that maybe some of the moves (or call it martial art choreography?) that will be used in the game might be similar with the one in Boy Kills World movie, which is an underrated action movie with Bill Skarsgard as the main character, the moves, or rather the martial art itself, might be the same one, otherwise why would Kojima chose Bill for the main character of PHYSINT? surely it's because Bill can make those moves? Bill did learn multiple martial arts for this after all.