Hideo Kojima says Kojima Productions will remain independent after tweeting PlayStation Studios banner
Hideo Kojima has mysteriously posted a photo of PlayStation Studios before clarifying that his studio will remain independent.
Around 1 p.m. Japan time, Kojima posted an image of the PlayStation Studios banner featuring games from all of Sony’s first-party studios, including Death Stranding. That cryptic tweet immediately sparked speculation that Kojima Productions had officially joined PlayStation Studios.
Kojima followed up 10 minutes later by clarifying that Kojima Productions is still an independent company.
Hideo Kojima’s first tweet. Photo credit: Twitter.
In a follow-up tweet independently translated by IGN, Kojima writes, “I seem to have invited misinterpretation, but KojiPro was and is an independent production studio.”
IGN has reached out to Kojima Productions for further clarification.
Kojima’s clarification tweet. Photo credit: Twitter.
Kojima Productions was founded in 2015 as an independent studio, having previously been an in-house team within Kojima’s former company, Konami. To date, the studio’s only title remains Death Stranding, a game starring The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus as the carrier who must traverse the post-apocalyptic United States to reunite the country.
With its post-modern aesthetic and cinematic storytelling, Death Stranding was Kojima’s critically acclaimed pinnacle. An extended 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 Kojima Productions’ already close relationship with Sony. Kojima announced his new studio alongside 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 an all-time high and Sony is currently on a buying spree, having acquired teams like Housemarque and Valkyrie Entertainment. Sony also bought Bungie, although the Destiny developer isn’t part of PlayStation Studios.
Matt TM Kim is the news editor of IGN. you can reach him @lawoftd.
https://www.ign.com/articles/playstation-studios-kojima-productions-death-stranding Hideo Kojima says Kojima Productions will remain independent after tweeting PlayStation Studios banner
