Bill Skarsgård has been confirmed as the lead of Hideo Kojima’s upcoming action-espionage video game “Physint,” adding a major name to a project that has already undergone a significant publisher shift.
Kojima announced the casting Thursday during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026 Broadcast, revealing that Skarsgård will front the title, which is now set to be published by Xbox. The news follows last week’s announcement that “Physint” had moved to Xbox after being scrapped at PlayStation, Kojima Productions’ longtime partner publisher.
“I’m delighted to confirm the lead role for ‘Physint’ will be Bill Skarsgård,” Kojima said during the broadcast. “We are both long-time fans of each other’s work, and we’ve decided to embark on this new adventure together. The costume fittings, scans, and camera tests we conducted with Bill and Charlee earlier this year gave me tremendous confidence in the direction of the project.”
Skarsgård joins an expanding “Physint” cast
Skarsgård joins previously announced cast members Charlee Fraser, Don Lee and Minami Hamabe. Kojima’s remarks also confirmed that costume fittings, scans and camera tests had already taken place earlier this year with Skarsgård and Fraser.
Alongside the announcement, new key art for “Physint” featuring Skarsgård and Fraser was revealed.
Kojima Productions describes “Physint” as its third original IP. The studio has also said Kojima views the game as the culmination of his 40-year career as a video game creator. With Xbox backing the project, the title is being positioned as an attempt to use cutting-edge technology and a major cast to create a new kind of game experience, with the aim of setting a fresh benchmark for the action-espionage genre.
Kojima’s Xbox slate grows
“Physint” is not Kojima’s only project with Xbox. Kojima, who created the “Death Stranding” and “Metal Gear” video game franchises, is already working with Xbox on “OD,” which is planned to arrive before “Physint.”
“OD” is a horror game made in collaboration with Jordan Peele. Its cast includes Sophia Lillis and Hunter Schafer.
The Xbox publishing deal for “Physint” marks the latest development for a title that has quickly become one of Kojima Productions’ most closely watched upcoming projects, particularly after the change from PlayStation to Xbox and the confirmation of Skarsgård in the lead role.
Skarsgård’s recent screen work
Skarsgård is best known for playing Pennywise in Warner Bros.’ “It” film and TV franchise. He was most recently seen in Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire.”
His upcoming roles include Peter Bergs’s “The Mosquito Bowl” and Andrew Niccol’s “Lords of War,” in which he stars opposite Nicolas Cage. Earlier this year, Skarsgård was also featured in “The Death of Robin Hood” with Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer.
For now, Kojima Productions has framed “Physint” as a major action-espionage effort powered by Xbox support, new technology and a cast that now has Skarsgård at its center.