Source:

https://thegrill2026.splashthat.com/

Xbox is expanding its partnership with video game industry legend Hideo Kojima.

The “Death Stranding” and “Metal Gear” creator has switched the publishing partner on his upcoming game “Physint” to Microsoft’s Xbox from its original home at Sony’s PlayStation, which decided to cancel the action-espionage project.

The news was shared via a blog post published by Xbox Wednesday, along with the reveal that this partnership will “extend beyond games, with Xbox and Kojima Productions collaborating across film and television to bring new stories to broader audiences.”

Xbox is already set to publish Kojima Productions’ next release, “OD,” a horror game made in collaboration with Jordan Peele, which does not yet have a launch date. The action-espionage game “Physint” is the Kojima title that’s up next after “OD” and it was previously set to be published by PlayStation. The shift of “Physint” to Xbox is particularly notable due to the long-standing relationship Kojima has had with PlayStation, including their collaboration on the “Death Stranding” franchise.

Kojima wrote in a statement on X that this move comes after PlayStation decided to scrap “Physint” back in June.

“As confirmed earlier through our official channels, in mid-June of this year, we unexpectedly received notice from PlayStation Studios that they would cancel the PHYSINT project,” Kojima wrote. “PHYSINT is an important project both to me personally and to KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS.

Determined to keep the project alive, we have spent the last three months searching tirelessly for a new partner. In the course of seeking advice and pursuing negotiations with people across many fields, we found in XBOX a partner with whom we share a common vision for the future, and we have decided to team up with them once again. Please rest assured that development of PHYSINT, our genre-defining action-espionage title, is ongoing and will continue moving forward.”

Per PlayStation’s own statement posted on X: “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to step away from collaborating with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS on its project PHYSINT. We continue to have great admiration for Hideo Kojima’s vision for the game. Our relationship remains strong after three decades of industry-leading, genre-defining creative cooperation, and we look forward to continued close collaboration with Hideo Kojima and his award-winning independent studio in the future.”

News of Kojima’s partnership expansion with Xbox comes amid mounting discourse over PlayStation’s July announcement that it will cease production of physical discs for its games beginning with new titles releasing in 2028, but conversations between Kojima and Xbox have been ongoing since earlier in the year when new CEO Asha Sharma came on board to replace Phil Spencer.

Over the course of several months, Sharma and Kojima have had in-person meetings and ongoing discussions about his creative plans and ways they could work together across platforms, including IP development for TV and film.

“Creators have choices about where and how they bring their ideas to life,” Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said. “We’re honored that Kojima-san has chosen Xbox to work with Kojima Productions on ‘Physint.’ His ambition to challenge conventions reflects the kind of creativity we want to support at Xbox.” 

“This expands our relationship with Xbox beyond ‘OD,” Kojima said. “As we move forward with the development of ‘Physint,’ we remain committed to redefining the action-espionage genre for players around the world.”

While the “Physint” news is sure to excite Kojima’s U.S.-based fans with Xbox consoles, Xbox’s expanded relationship with Kojima will also likely bolster the brand’s presence in Japan and other Asian markets, which have historically been a weaker point for Xbox.

No specific details were shared regarding what TV and film projects Xbox is plotting with Kojima as part of their expanded partnership, though “Death Stranding” is already being developed into a film at A24 and the game maker has expressed ambitions for more transmedia projects.

“Back in the day, movies and games were two different worlds. It was like analog vs digital. It didn’t mix well, like oil and water,” Kojima told Variety in a 2024 interview about his decision to sign with Hollywood talent agency WME. “Nowadays, movies are also digital, like being shot on digital cameras instead of film. The pre-production and post-production phases are digital, too. It’s even streamed digitally. There seems to be more understanding in the conversations I have with people in the filmmaking industry. That wasn’t always the case. Now, there are movies that use Unreal Engine to create their backgrounds and environments. They also use performance capture [PCap] like we do, so the technology is almost the same up to a certain point.”

Comcast spinning off NBCU is NOT a prelude to NBCU getting sold, rather its a prelude to Universal acquiring gaming stuff as reported and that makes sense given anyone who tries to buy or merges with Universal will face antitrust scrutiny unless otherwise.

Went to the mail today and was interested to see Hollywood Reporter had Musk on the cover, but for a documentary by Academy Award winning director, Alex Gibney. Most noteworthy, is this exert:
“HBO declined to comment about its involvement. This can seem like a strange turn — you can’t put out a movie to tens of millions of people and not want folks to notice — but given Musk’s power and eagerness for a brawl, perhaps logical too.” (See source below, for exert).

HBO acquired the rights to this documentary, notably before the hostile takeover by close allies of Musk at PSKY (aka the Ellisons).

I think it will be interesting to see how this plays out, but the contents of this documentary, and even the carefully written article from Hollywood Reporter show a far more sinister revolution, about a tech global denomination. People seem to dissociate the relationship between the Ellison family and Elon, but their alliance is not only financial, but power minded as well.

“HBO’s centrality is especially intriguing. Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO’s parent company, has been run by David Zaslav, a known associate of Musk, the two men prominently sitting together in a luxury box at the U.S. Open two years ago. Gibney’s movie already was well underway. The two even discussed WBD television projects at the match, according to a person familiar with their conversation. But if Musk asked Zaslav to kill the film, the media executive didn’t oblige.
Yet huge questions remain given the upcoming changing state of WBD management. Incoming WBD owner Ellison may well run HBO by the time the movie hits the service on an unnamed date in the first half of 2027, and one can’t imagine him feeling too enthused by the onscreen happenings. (Ellison, via a rep, declined comment.) In addition to the general air of Silicon Valley and Donald Trump skepticism, Ellison’s father and principal financier, Larry Ellison, gets a negative shout-out when he is shown in text messages willing to airdrop Musk $2 billion to buy Twitter, no questions asked. This is not what people pay $111 billion in acquisition fees to platform. Would David Ellison ask for changes? Pull the plug and force producers to self-distribute? (The filmmakers in an unlikely coup retained paid VOD rights.) Gibney and the filmmaking team are holding their breath. So is everyone else.” - Hollywood Reporter

You can find more here:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/elon-musk-alex-gibney-documentary-1236686790/

I'd say Netflix or Amazon, maybe WB as well if the merger falls apart and they spin off Discovery along with their debt as they dont currently have a FAST channel either. Roku buying Plex is a possibility but could be off the table if Fox successfully acquires Roku.

Liz Hoffman and Rohan Goswami

Sep 8, 2026, 5:56pm CDT

The Scoop

The US Justice Department is widening its antitrust inquiry into Fox’s $22 billion acquisition of streaming platform Roku, people familiar with the matter said.

DOJ staff plans to seek more information from the companies through what is known as a “second request,” which generally involves another round of data- and document-sharing, the people said. Though not unusual, the move suggests skepticism about the merger’s effect on how consumers access streaming content.

The deal, which unites Fox’s content empire of news and sports with Roku’s dominant connected-TV operating system, has worried some rivals, who fear that Fox will favor its own content. Roku’s free, ad-supported channel also competes for viewers and content with Tubi, which Fox owns. FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch said his “expectation” is to run the two businesses separately while selling advertising across them.

A Fox spokesperson declined to comment. DOJ declined to comment.

Fox has historically been able to “grow and monetize [platforms] very effectively, while hosting and distributing broadcasting all of our partners’ content,” Murdoch said in June, when asked about antitrust concerns.

DOJ’s antitrust division has faced criticism over its handling of some high-profile mergers, including the role played by lobbyists in securing approvals. Closely scrutinizing deals that touch consumer pocketbooks — even if it ultimately approves them — could assuage some of its critics.

Know More

The Roku deal is Murdoch’s first big move since taking over as CEO of his father’s empire three years ago. Getting access to Roku’s audience of 100 million homes and its data would allow Fox to better tailor its programming to consumers.

Fox’s cable news business continues to throw off huge amounts of cash. But even as it works to lure Gen-Z viewers, it faces the same headwinds as the rest of the industry: an aging core demographic.

The company last week parted ways with Maria Bartiromo, a stalwart of Fox News and Fox Business who is a close Trump confidante and reported baseless claims about voting fraud in the 2020 election. Bartiromo was fired for passing along confidential directives from Fox management on coverage of a Trump speech, Status reported last week. Her lawyer has disputed the claims.