Hideo Kojima mysteriously posted a picture of PlayStation Studios before clarifying that his studio will remain independent.
Around. At 1pm Japanese time, Kojima posted a picture of the PlayStation Studios banner featuring games from all of Sony’s first-class studios and also Death Stranding. This cryptic tweet immediately sparked speculation that Kojima Productions was officially joining PlayStation Studios.
Kojima followed up 10 minutes later by clarifying that Kojima Productions is still an independent company.
Hideo Kojima’s first tweet. Credit: Twitter.
In a follow-up tweet, independently translated by IGN, Kojima writes: “I seem to have been invited for misinterpretation, but KojiPro has been and will continue to be an independent production studio.”
IGN has contacted Kojima Productions for further clarification.
Kojimas clearing tweet. Credit: Twitter.
Kojima Productions was founded in 2015 as an independent studio after previously being an internal team in Konami, Kojima’s former company. To date, the studio’s only title remains Death Stranding, a game starring The Walking Deads Norman Reedus as a porter who must cross a post-apocalyptic United States to reunite the country.
With its post-modern aesthetic and cinematic storytelling, Death Stranding was the peak of Kojima, to shared critical reception. An expanded version for PlayStation 5 was later released for console and PC under the name Death Stranding Director’s Cut.
One possible explanation for this tweet could be from Kojima Productions’ already close relationship with Sony. Kojima announced its new studio with Sony at the 2015 PlayStation E3 presentation, and Death Stranding uses a version of Guerrilla Games’ Decima Engine.
Speculation about new PlayStation acquisitions is at a record high, and Sony is currently on a buying spree after acquiring teams like Housemarque and Valkyrie Entertainment. Sony also bought Bungie, though the Destiny developer is not part of PlayStation Studios.
MattTM Kim is IGN’s news editor. You can reach him @laloftd.