> here is an official statement regarding the matter.

Yes, I linked to it some years back:

http://morph.zone/modules/newbb_plus/viewtopic.php?forum=3&topic_id=9339&start=34

>> Hyperion of all parties (basing AmigaOS 4.x on AmigaOS 3.1) mentions
>> AmigaOS 3.5 and 3.9 as regular AmigaOS releases on their websites

> Hyperion mostly mentions 3.5/3.9 just as lame excuses for why OS4 was so late :-)

Any links to such statements? They are not on their official websites, at least. And what I remember is quite to the contrary:

"Luckily this isn't too much of a problem because of the fact that we entered into new agreements with all the individual OS 3.5 and 3.9 developers. The end-result is that we do have access to all the work for OS 3.5 and 3.9 not produced by H&P themselves."
http://web.archive.org/web/20060111073306/http://www.swaug.org.uk/int010402.html