Metal Gear Solid's Official Replacement Is Our First Confirmed Next-Gen Game

Published Oct 9, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT Lee D’Amato is a writer born, raised, and based in Queens, New York. With collective thousands of hours in games like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Elden Ring, and The Legend of Zelda, he's now writes game features, guides, and reviews for Screen Rant, but has covered a wide range of topics, including ancient history, affordable travel, and overall health. HIdeo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid successor is now officially the first game confirmed for the next console generation. During a PlayStation State of Play way back in January 2024, Kojima appeared on camera to announce a brand-new stealth game for Metal Gear fans. Although he didn't show off much of the game itself, that reveal has sparked years worth of speculation over what Physint could be. Now, we've just gotten our first official update on Physint in a long time. While the game still looks to be a ways away, we seem to have confirmation of at least one thing: its next-gen launch. Earlier this week, IGN shared an update on Physint's development, based on revelations made during a Tokyo Broadcasting System Radio interview with Kojima. It was made abundantly clear that Physint is being designed as a next-gen stealth game, not to come out before there's a new Xbox on the market. Beyond that, Kojima mentioned last year that Physint was at least five or six years away, with his other game-in-progress — his Jordan Peele collaboration OD — to be released first. So we likely won't see hide nor hair of Physint until 2030, which, if rumors of Xbox's Project Helix coming in 2027 or 2028 come true, would put Physint firmly in the next generation. Also revealed recently is Physint's lead character, who will be played by It and Nosferatu actor Bill Skarsgard. Also confirmed for Physint are model Charlee Fraser, Train to Busan's Don Lee (AKA Ma Dong-Seok), and Godzilla Minus One star Minami Hamabe. Skarsgard, Fraser, and Hamabe have already been scanned using Kojima Productions' 3D photogrammetry tech. Other roles, said Kojima, have already been cast but are to remain secret for the time being. Kojima also confirmed that around 70% of the actors involved are fans of his work, and that he pitched Physint to them personally. He already has the plot settled, and plans to include lots of new ideas to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his career in the gaming industry. For now, that's about all we're getting on Physint. This comes shortly after PlayStation, the console line that debuted Metal Gear Solid and played exclusive host to much of Kojima's oeuvre, had dropped Physint, no longer planning to publish Kojima's next stealth game. Almost immediately thereafter, Xbox stepped in, and is now set to publish Kojima's next two games; OD was initially announced as an Xbox collaboration as well. For now, we have no idea whether this stall in development, albeit brief, could have an effect on Physint's release date. That said, it's a big win for Xbox ahead of the Project Helix reveal; the fact that it'll have a first-party Kojima game on its "family" of next-gen devices is a perfect ace in the hole. That said, Xbox publishing Physint doesn't mean it'll be an exclusive. We've seen both Xbox and PlayStation branch out in recent days, publishing their first-party games on the rival platform, so that could hold true for Kojima's Metal Gear Solid successor too.