PlayStation Studios website banner quietly adds Death Stranding, but don't get too excited yet

Death Stranding Director's Cut
(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

The official website for PlayStation Studios has slightly modified its top banner to include Death Stranding, which was developed by Kojima Productions and therefore isn't technically a PlayStation Studios game.

The obvious implication is that this could be a sign that Sony is about to buy Kojima Productions, but there's just enough reason to be skeptical of that assumption. For one, Sony published Death Stranding and therefore owns the rights to the IP even though Kojima Productions is still an independent studio.

Games from external studios published by Sony have been referred to as "first-party" PlayStation games in the past - such was the case with Ratchet & Clank before Insomniac was purchased by Sony - so it wouldn't be without precedent for PlayStation to simply include Death Stranding in its showing of first-party titles.

That said, the rest of the games in the banner are from bonafide first-party studios, making Death Stranding the odd man out here. Plus, you'll all remember something eerily similar to this happening just before Sony purchased Demon's Souls remake developer Bluepoint Games. Adding to that, it's a little conspicuous that PlayStation Studios is just now adding Death Stranding to its banner when the game's been out since 2019 - even the director's cut is several months old by now.

Now, you'll have to forgive me for my tinfoil hat, but it's worth noting that Kojima himself moved studios earlier this month, which led to plenty of speculation from fans about a potential Sony project. In truth, the move is likely due to completely unrelated reasons, but it's an interesting coincidence at the very least.

Here are all of the upcoming PS5 games confirmed for 2022 and beyond.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Read more
Elden Ring
Sony becomes the largest shareholder in Elden Ring and Dark Souls' parent company, despite acquisition chatter
Elden Ring
Staff at FromSoftware parent company reportedly "thrilled" to see Sony in talks to buy them, but one analyst says the sale would be a "bad choice" for the house of Elden Ring
Bloodborne
"Let me cope": Bloodborne 60fps mod creator hopes the remake is real this time as Sony seemingly sends a DMCA after yet another fan project
Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot
If you were wondering where the new Death Stranding 2 trailer was yesterday, it looks like Hideo Kojima is still working on it
Elden Ring
Dark Souls and Elden Ring owner says Shadow of the Erdtree boosted revenue, and plans to expand its gaming division thanks to investment from Sony
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima quietly reveals 10 seconds of new Death Stranding 2 footage as what looks like the next trailer goes to "main sound mixing"
Latest in Simulation
Guitar Hero
Guitar Hero expert finally annihilates world record 200% speedrun of the game's hardest song after trying and failing 50,000 times
Stardew Valley Baldur's Gate 3 mod Baldur's Village
Baldur's Gate 3 director Swen Vincke gives his official approval to the Stardew Valley mod that brings the D&D RPG to Pelican Town
Boro and Alta sit on a bench together in Wanderstop
Wanderstop review: "Exalting the transformative power of tea"
InZOI screenshot
The Sims rival InZoi has 300 people hanging out in each of its in-game cities and they all "interact with each other in real-time"
InZOI screenshot from creation studio demo which depicts a shockingly realistic character model rendered in Unreal Engine 5
The director behind The Sims competitor InZOI spent 20 years making MMOs, but he ditched the massive RPGs after playing life sims with his son
Demon Slayer season 4 episode 2
True to the anime, Stardew Valley's hottest mod adds two romanceable Demon Slayer dudes who are both "rude and standoffish" at first
Latest in News
Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World
Brave New World box office crosses milestone for Captain America movies, even though it still might not break even
Diego Luna as Cassian Andor
The first three episodes of the best Star Wars show are now available to watch for free ahead of the Andor season 2 premiere
Mio and Zoe holding a dragon during the trailer for Split Fiction.
Split Fiction blows It Takes Two out of the water by selling 1 million copies in 2 days, becoming Hazelight's fastest selling game ever
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says he'll "apologize beforehand" for Death Stranding 2 moments with Troy Baker's Higgs which are "so ridiculous" that "you'll probably throw the controller"
a stone giant walks on a field near a cliff
Erenshor, the 'MMORPG' with fake players that's not actually an MMO at all, gets an imminent release date
Michael Bay
Michael Bay and James Cameron had a call to commiserate over the state of the movie industry: "No one can greenlight anything anymore"