Hideo Kojima Reassures Studio Independence Amid Sony Acquisition Rumors

Hideo Kojima says that Kojima Productions will stay independent, following rumors this week that it may have been bought by Sony.

PlayStation Studios recently updated its first-party studios banner to include Sam Bridges, the protagonist of Death Stranding, a PlayStation console exclusive. The game utilizes the Decima Engine, which was created by Sony’s first-party studio Guerrilla Games. Death Stranding and its Director’s Cut version were released on both PlayStation consoles and PC.

Kojima posted the banner himself onto his Twitter account without providing any further context, fueling rumors that Sony may have acquired Kojima Productions and that perhaps an official announcement would be coming soon.

However, Kojima retweeted his post and apologized for the confusion he caused. “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, but KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS has been and will continue to be an independent studio,” Kojima clarified.

Kojima Productions is also reportedly working on a game with Microsoft. Amid these acquisition rumors, Kojima’s Xbox project is reportedly still progressing as planned.