Kojima Reveals Bill Skarsgård as Physint Lead at Tokyo Game Show

Kojima Productions founder Hideo Kojima revealed that actor Bill Skarsgård will play the lead role, the player character, in Physint during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026 Broadcast, confirming the casting in a video published on Xbox’s official YouTube channel on September 17, 2026.

Kojima said he was delighted to confirm Skarsgård for the lead. He described the pair as long-time fans of each other’s work and said they had decided to embark on this new adventure together. The video’s description notes that Kojima joined the broadcast to share the latest updates on OD – KNOCK and to reveal the lead cast member for Physint.

Physint Production and the New Teaser Visual

Kojima described Physint, now being published by Xbox, as “the culmination of more than 40 years of my career,” a project he said will redefine action-espionage while remaining unbound by any existing genres in digital entertainment. He said the project continues to make steady progress, including on casting, talent scans, and collaborations with outside creators.

Skarsgård joins previously introduced cast members Charlee Fraser, Don Lee, and Minami Hamabe, whom Kojima said were introduced last year. Kojima Productions’ recap of its 10th-anniversary “Beyond The Strand” event, held on September 23, 2025, at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills in Japan, records that the studio released visual art and information on three actors for Physint, listing Charlee Fraser, Ma Dong-Seok, and Minami Hamabe.

Kojima said costume fittings, scans, and camera tests conducted with Skarsgård and Fraser earlier this year gave him tremendous confidence in the project’s direction and further solidified his vision of its final form. He said the new Physint teaser visual revealed during the segment uses a photo he personally took of the two actors during that session.

OD – KNOCK Development Update

In the same segment, Kojima said development of OD – KNOCK is progressing smoothly. He said performance capture and ADR recording, which had been paused during the SAG strike, resumed this year, and that production is proceeding on schedule.

Kojima named Sophia Lillis and Hunter Schafer and said they and the team have delivered intense and outstanding performances that he cannot wait for players to see. He described OD as “a completely new kind of game that tests the thresholds of fear,” adding that the project is steadily taking shape through constant experimentation and iteration, with more information to be shared later.

The studio’s Beyond The Strand recap also records that an OD – KNOCK teaser trailer, presented with Xbox Game Studios, was released at the September 2025 event.

Xbox Partnership and the Studio’s 10th Anniversary

The casting reveal follows Kojima Productions’ September 9, 2026, announcement of the next chapter of its partnership with Xbox, under which Xbox will publish Physint. In the Xbox Wire post, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said the company was honored that Kojima had chosen Xbox for Physint, while Kojima said the move expands the relationship beyond OD. The post also said the relationship will extend beyond games, with Xbox and Kojima Productions collaborating across film and television.

Kojima said during the segment that Kojima Productions was founded as an independent studio at the end of 2015 and that this year marks its 10th anniversary. He said he visited Xbox’s Redmond offices earlier this year and spent time with Sharma discussing the future of games and digital entertainment, and that the two companies are working together on two new IPs.

The Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2026 Broadcast was scheduled for September 17 at 7:00 p.m. JST, 3 a.m. Pacific, 6 a.m. Eastern, and 11 a.m. in the UK, on official Xbox channels and Tokyo Game Show’s official YouTube channel, with Misuzu Araki hosting, according to Xbox Wire’s broadcast announcement. That post said the show would include American Sign Language and English audio descriptions, and that the company’s Tokyo Game Show presence marks 25 years of play and commemorates more than 20 years of Xbox in Japan.

Kojima closed the segment by thanking players, fans, and community members for their continued support, as well as the studio’s partners at Xbox. He said more cast announcements for Physint are still to come and asked viewers to stay tuned for further updates.