Kojima's next action-espionage game is taking another big step forward as its cast continues to come together.
Bill Skarsgård is stepping into Hideo Kojima's next action-espionage game as its lead character. Hideo Kojima, founder of Kojima Productions, has revealed that Skarsgård will play the lead role and player character in PHYSINT, the upcoming action-espionage game from Kojima Productions.
The announcement was made during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show Broadcast 2026 on Thursday (17 September), just over a week after PlayStation announced that it was stepping away from PHYSINT, and Xbox was confirmed as the game's new publishing partner. Kojima said he and Skarsgård had been long-time fans of each other's work before deciding to work together on the project. "We are both long-time fans of each other's work, and we've decided to embark on this new adventure together," Kojima said.
PHYSINT
Release date: TBD
Platform: Xbox
Developer: Kojima Productions
Bill Skarsgård joins the PHYSINT cast as its lead character
Skarsgård joins a PHYSINT cast that already includes Charlee Fraser, Don Lee, and Minami Hamabe. The three were revealed during Kojima Productions' 10th anniversary event, Beyond the Strand, in Tokyo in September 2025.
Best known internationally for playing Pennywise in It and It: Chapter Two, Skarsgård has also appeared in Nosferatu, Barbarian, The Crow, John Wick: Chapter 4, Atomic Blonde, and Boy Kills World. He recently reprised Pennywise in HBO's It: Welcome to Derry, where he also served as an executive producer. His more recent film work includes Gus Van Sant's Dead Man's Wire and The Death of Robin Hood alongside Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer. He is also set to appear in The Mosquito Bowl and Lords of War opposite Nicolas Cage.
Kojima said work on PHYSINT's casting, talent scans, and collaborations with outside creators is continuing, with more cast members still to be announced. Skarsgård and Fraser have already undergone costume fittings, scans, and camera tests earlier this year, and Kojima said seeing the two actors during those sessions gave him much more confidence in where PHYSINT is heading.
"The costume fittings, scans, and camera test we conducted with Bill and Charlee earlier this year gave me tremendous confidence in the direction of the project," he said. “My vision of the final form became much more solidified.” Kojima also revealed that PHYSINT's new teaser visual uses a photograph he personally took of Skarsgård and Fraser during the session.
Hideo Kojima says PHYSINT is the culmination of his 40-year career
PHYSINT is the third original IP from Kojima Productions, following Death Stranding and OD, and Kojima described the project as the culmination of more than 40 years of his career as a video game creator. "PHYSINT is the culmination of more than 40 years of my career: a project that will redefine 'action-espionage,' unbound by any existing genres in digital entertainment," Kojima said.
The studio said PHYSINT will use cutting-edge technology alongside its growing cast as it looks to set a new benchmark for the action-espionage genre. Development is continuing steadily, with work currently underway across casting, talent scans, and collaborations with creators outside the studio.
The update comes shortly after Xbox was confirmed as PHYSINT's new publisher, expanding its existing relationship with Kojima Productions beyond OD. Kojima said he visited Xbox's offices in Redmond earlier this year and spent time with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, where the two discussed the future of games and digital entertainment, as well as what both companies hoped to achieve together.
He also thanked Xbox for backing Kojima Productions' plans. "I would also like to thank our partners at Xbox for believing our vision and walking this path toward the future alongside us," Kojima said.
Kojima says OD development is progressing smoothly
Meanwhile, Kojima also gave updates on OD, with development of the Xbox title said to be "progressing smoothly." Performance capture and ADR recording, which had been paused during the SAG strike, resumed this year, with production now proceeding on schedule.
Sophia Lillis and Hunter Schafer are among the actors working on OD, with Kojima praising their performances as "intense and outstanding." "OD is a completely new kind of game that tests the thresholds of fear," Kojima said, adding that the project is continuing to take shape through experimentation and iteration.
More information on both OD and PHYSINT will be shared at a later date.
