Kojima insists Kojima Productions is "independent" after posting a PlayStation Studios banner that suggests otherwise

Hideo Kojima has shot down rumours that Kojima Productions may be acquired by PlayStation.

It was Sony itself that sparked speculation after a ResetEra user noticed that the banner topping PlayStation Studios' website had been updated to include Sam Bridges from Kojima's Death Stranding game.

The banner also included a shot of Bluepoint's Demon's Soul remake, which was acquired by Sony last year. Despite the fervour, the banner has not been taken down, suggesting its change was neither premature nor accidental.

Just a couple of days after the banner was updated, though, Kojima tweeted the very same image with no accompanying text, leading many to presume it was implicit confirmation that Sony had indeed acquired Kojima's studio.

Later that same day, however, Kojima was forced to post an update message apologising for the "misunderstanding" and confirming that "Kojima Productions has been and will continue to be an independent studio".

While some have accepted Kojima at his word, others point out that Bluepoint was forced to make a similar statement after, ironically enough, it too had its Sony acquisition leaked by an image. And it still doesn't explain why Sam Bridges is now tucked onto the end of PlayStation Studios' shiny new banner image. So watch this space, I guess; I suspect this won't be the last time we'll be reporting on this story.

PlayStation has recently gone on a spending spree, acquiring studios such as Housemarque, Bluepoint, Firesprite, Nixxes, Valkyrie, Jade Raymond's Haven and, of course, Destiny maker Bungie.