![Director Kojima: “I paid a visit to Sony City”—He posted a photo that suggests a strong relationship continues even after the withdrawal from ‘PHYSINT’! [Hideo Next Door]](/imgs/p/JIxo87wJh5Y_xgjF1boGNUXVYNtu3dzb2tnY/34315.jpg)
![Director Kojima: “I paid a visit to Sony City”—He posted a photo that suggests a strong relationship continues even after the withdrawal from ‘PHYSINT’! [Hideo Next Door]](/imgs/p/_zOaUlRqojxBw0ee6C2849PQ-N8W3dzb2tnY/34315.jpg)
![Director Kojima: “I paid a visit to Sony City”—He posted a photo that suggests a strong relationship continues even after the withdrawal from ‘PHYSINT’! [Hideo Next Door]](/imgs/p/_zOaUlRqojxBw0ee6C2849PQ-N8W3dzb2tnY/34316.jpg)
When you look at the photos Director Hideo Kojima, the game creator, posts on social media, there’s almost always someone standing right next to him, isn’t there? Film directors, actors, game creators—and sometimes even mysterious figures. In this series, “Hideo Next Door,” we’ll take an in-depth look at the “people next to him.”
To be honest, the ultimate goal of the Game*Spark writers penning this “Hideo Next Door” series is to one day stand next to Director Hideo Kojima ourselves, have our photo taken with him, and appear as a character in “A HIDEO KOJIMA GAME.”We’ll be bringing you this series on an irregular basis until that long-cherished dream comes true.
This installment of “Hideo Next Door” is a special edition!
This installment of “Hideo Next Door” is a special edition. While this series has typically focused on the “people next to” Director Kojima, the subject of his latest post isn’t a person—it’s a building or location.
The photo was posted with the caption, “I stopped by Sony City.” Judging by the building’s exterior, the location is likely the NBF Osaki Building, which houses Sony City Osaki—one of the Sony Group’s major offices.
Some readers might wonder, “Is it really that special for Director Kojima—who has developed numerous titles for PlayStation—to take a photo at Sony?” However, as those who regularly follow gaming news know, given the timing, this post garnered significant attention, receiving 14,000 “likes” in Japan and 41,000 “likes” overseas.
Let’s take a moment to look back at the recent relationship between Director Kojima and Sony.
Relationship with Hideo Kojima
Thanks to the release of remastered versions, Hideo Kojima’s masterpiece, the *Metal Gear Solid* series, can now be enjoyed on numerous platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC. However, when the series first launched, it was primarily released as titles for PlayStation consoles.
That relationship continued even after Director Kojima left Konami and founded “Kojima Productions.”When the studio was founded in 2015, Sony Computer Entertainment released an announcement video. It introduced Director Kojima as “the creator of a wonderful franchise that has helped shape the history of PlayStation” and revealed that they were developing the first title as a partner for PlayStation consoles (it was later announced that the game would also be released for PC).
That game, *DEATH STRANDING*, was finally released in 2019, and its sequel, *DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH*, followed in 2025 (both were released as PlayStation exclusives).
Following that, the espionage action game *PHYSINT* was announced as the next project from the collaboration between Director Kojima and Sony.Its existence was revealed in 2024 at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) game announcement event, “State of Play,” and part of the cast was announced in 2025.
However, in September 2026, the situation took a dramatic turn. SIE announced that it was ending its partnership on *PHYSINT*. In its statement, SIE noted, “Our relationship with Director Kojima remains strong, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the studio in the future.”
This sudden announcement came as a major shock, sparking widespread speculation about the reasons behind the dissolution of the partnership. This even led Kojima Productions to issue a statement denying the speculation.
According to the statement, Kojima Productions is in a healthy, profitable state, and development of *PHYSINT* is proceeding smoothly in collaboration with its new partner, Xbox. Furthermore, in line with SIE’s statement, the company emphasized that “our relationship with PlayStation remains strong.”
I’m also curious about the reason for the visit...
This photo was posted amid such a complex relationship. As we continue to follow the future of Kojima Productions and SIE, the reason for the visit is certainly something to watch.
Although it’s the Sony Group, its operations aren’t limited to games; they also include movies—with which Director Kojima has deep ties—as well as audio, anime, and a wide variety of other fields. If we look beyond the entertainment industry, the scope expands even further.
SIE’s headquarters itself is located in Sony City, not the NBF Osaki Building, which appears to be the location of this photo shoot.Although I haven’t been able to find detailed information about which Sony divisions are currently based in Sony City Osaki, it was reported at the time of their move in 2011 that “all divisions of the Home Entertainment Business Group, which oversees the TV, video, and home audio businesses, would be consolidated there.”
Additionally, an official article revealed that as of 2024, a “department responsible for the hardware design of audio products” was located at Sony City Osaki, and in 2025, Sony City Osaki was recruiting interns to conduct applied research and development on generative AI technology in the entertainment sector (movies, games, and anime).It does not appear that the organizational structure has undergone significant changes since at least 2011.
Given that, one possibility that comes to mind is a live-action film adaptation of *DEATH STRANDING*. Although it has been reported that Kojima Productions and A24 will co-produce the film, Sony is deeply involved in the project, including handling game sales.There are also reports that location scouting will begin for about a month starting in September 2026, so it’s possible that some coordination with Sony has taken place in preparation for the film adaptation.
In any case, these photos serve as some evidence supporting the statement—emphasized by both SIE and Kojima Productions—that “the relationship remains strong.”As I predicted, it remains to be seen whether this is related to a film adaptation of *DEATH STRANDING* or new developments for the game, post-production work on *PHYSINT*, or perhaps an entirely new project getting underway. I’ll be keeping a close eye on the future relationship between Kojima Productions and Sony.
Until then, stay tuned for the next installment of “Hideo Next Door”!
