"Normally, we would not comment on unsubstantiated speculation on the internet, but these aspersions around our relationship with PlayStation, the commercial performance of the Death Stranding franchise, and the broader production planning and investment for Physint, have reached beyond the studio and have touched our fans, our creative partners, and colleagues we have worked alongside with for three decades.
"None of the claims written came from any official or on-the-record source and as such we encourage you to take them with a dose of scepticism.
"While we recognise that the article may have caused alarm, we want to reassure you all, for the record: that the studio is in a healthy, profitable state, development for Physint continues to move forward with Xbox, and our relationship with PlayStation remains strong." (via X)
You do not, as a rule, see studios respond to rumours, reports, and speculation, but a recent Bloomberg report that Sony dropped Physint, Kojima Productions' upcoming stealth game, because it was overbudget and kept missing deadlines must have rankled the studio a little, because it released the statement above yesterday to quell fears.
To quell fears of what? Well, mostly that the relationship between Hideo Kojima and Sony has gotten as bad as the relationship between Hideo Kojima and Konami, his erstwhile employer. Sure, says the studio, they might have split on Physint, but it was amicable. They'll probably even still spend Christmas together.
Meanwhile, Xbox has swooped in for an easy PR win: picking up the cheque for Physint's continued development. All's well that ends well? We'll see.
