Hideo Kojima says that he's received multiple "ridiculously high" offers to acquire Kojima Productions, all of which he's rejected. Kojima Productions was the company that Kojima started after departing Konami following what's been described as clashing ideologies. Kojima ultimately brought over a significant number of Konami developers to his new team and created Death Stranding. The potential of the studio is clear, and Kojima appears to believe that potential demands continued independence.Kojima Productions isn't slowing down, either, which may be a significant part of what's driven acquisition interest. Following the release of Death Stranding, Kojima Productions has confirmed that it's working on new game in partnership with Microsoft. There's also evidence of a Death Stranding sequel being in the works, plus more outlandish rumors like Kojima Productions working on a Silent Hill game for PlayStation. Even the wildest of rumors get some consideration, if only because Kojima Productions is believed to be capable of anything.While specific details regarding acquisition attempts for Kojima Productions weren't provided, Kojima made clear they're quite real. Speaking during the most recent episode of the Hideo Kojima Presents Brain Structure podcast, Kojima says that "every day I am approached by offers all over the world to buy our studio." He adds that some of the offers made for Kojima Productions put forth "ridiculously high prices" but that he has rejected all of them and has no plans to sell.
The reason why Kojima has rejected the acquisition offers is simple. He explains that he didn't found Kojima Productions because he wanted money. Rather, Kojima just wants to "make what I want to make." Kojima goes so far as to say that so long as he's alive, he doesn't believe that he'll accept an offer to acquire Kojima Productions. Suffice to say, that's a strong statement from Kojima and an example of what makes his fanbase so fiercely loyal.
Some might be confused regarding Kojima's comments considering he's working with Microsoft on an unnamed project, and rumored to be working with PlayStation on another. Kojima makes clear that Kojima Productions remains an independent studio, clarifying that it has "no affiliations whatsoever" and isn't "backed by anyone." The game development contracts the studio has agreed to are, assumedly, temporary and allow Kojima to stay true to his goals.
Getting to this point was no simple matter, of course. Kojima spent decades at Konami, with his first Metal Gear game launching in 1987. That Kojima stepped away from the Metal Gear franchise he'd turned into an incredible success to form his own independent studio and make projects like Death Stranding should capture his character. And now that he's here, Kojima is clearly unwilling to sell what he's created.