Konami reportedly ceases production on all console games bar PES

[MatParker116]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-09-18-konami-ceases-triple-a-console-production-on-all-but-pes-report

Konami has ceased all triple-A console game production on everything but Pro Evolution Soccer and there are currently no plans for a big new Metal Gear game, while worldwide technology director Julien Merceron has left the company. That's according to a pair of reports on French site Gameblog. Eurogamer understands both reports to be true.

Gameblog wrote yesterday that Merceron was apparently unhappy with Konami's transition away from the console market towards mobile games.

Beyond Metal Gear Online - the separate online component to Metal Gear Solid 5 that is currently being finished - and Pro Evolution Soccer 2016, Konami has a blank triple-A slate. It does however have the licence to the football tournament Euro 2016, so we'd expect it to make use of that.

Problems at Konami were highlighted earlier in the year when Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima left the company and his Kojima Productions studio was dissolved. He had reportedly fallen out with Konami's big bosses who refused to bankroll his long and lavish productions any longer. Metal Gear Solid 5 reportedly cost $80m to make. Any new Metal Gear Solid game Konami produces will presumably be made without Kojima involved.

Further problems at Konami were highlighted when respected financial Japanese newspaper Nikkei ran an article about a deteriorating company culture at Konami's game division. Employees "deemed useless" were apparently given menial and degrading tasks, and communication with outsiders was restricted and lunch breaks monitored.

Not many of Konami's console properties translate well to mobile platforms so if this is true IP selloff coming? I can see someone like Microsoft or EA being interested in Metal Gear or Silent Hill.

 

[McMarbles]

Welp. That's it. It's in the ground. Let's start shoveling the dirt and then get to divvying up the stuff. Let Nintendo have Castlevania, give Suikoden to Atlus, Sony can have MGS, maybe give From Silent Hill...

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I grew up on this sound as a kid:


For that (and the fact they made Silent Hill 2) I've always felt endeared to the company. But I never played Castlevania, I was never a Metal Gear fan, and the magic has been long gone from the SH games. So the loss, while heartfelt, is more symbolic than practical.

 

[MatParker116]

Welp. That's it. It's in the ground. Let's start shoveling the dirt and then get to divvying up the stuff. Let Nintendo have Castlevania, give Suikoden to Atlus, Sony can have MGS, maybe give From Silent Hill...

MGS 6 from Naughty Dog?

 

[Pseudonym]

Well, that escalated quickly. Do we have solid evidence to believe that this decision was already made a while ago? It seems that way to me, but I know very little about Konami or business decisions. it makes sense that they'd fire Kojima and threath their employees poorly and do some other things if they were planning of getting rid of their gaming division altogether, bar PES. I have to say that I believe MGS:Ground Zeroes was their first game I played so I'm not really interested in their gaming division anyway but their collapse or retreat or whatever we are looking at was/is rather spectacular.

Captcha: hit the sack. Don't be mean to Konami's employees, Captcha. They are having a hard enough time as it is.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Welp. That's it. It's in the ground. Let's start shoveling the dirt and then get to divvying up the stuff. Let Nintendo have Castlevania, give Suikoden to Atlus, Sony can have MGS, maybe give From Silent Hill...

MGS 6 from Naughty Dog?

Oh God no, Naughty Dog has failed at making a competent TPS 4 times straight now, you can't even change the sluggish as hell camera sensitivity and the aim-assist is horrible.

 

[vallorn]

Welp. That's it. It's in the ground. Let's start shoveling the dirt and then get to divvying up the stuff. Let Nintendo have Castlevania, give Suikoden to Atlus, Sony can have MGS, maybe give From Silent Hill...

MGS 6 from Naughty Dog?

I'd give the MS brand to Platinum myself. Or just outright sell it to whatever Kojima sets up next if he wants to buy it.

But then again, Konami still seem to be focusing on turning their gaming brands into gambling brands and pachinko machines. So I think they will do an EA and just hold onto all the IP forever and ever because they can.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Crap, does that mean all Konami games are going to be super expensive now?

 

[Erttheking]

*Sigh* *Tosses shovels out*. I'll be burying Suikoden over here, everyone else find places for MGS, Castlevania, Silent Hill and anything else these fuckers got their claws into.

 

[Silvanus]

Well, if they keep hold of all their IPs (as companies often do, even if they don't make use them), this is a very bad thing. If they relinquish them, it could potentially be a good thing.

 

[gyrobot_v1legacy]

Well, if they keep hold of all their IPs (as companies often do, even if they don't make use them), this is a very bad thing. If they relinquish them, it could potentially be a good thing.

They are goin to make mobile games with it. This is the future of Japanese gaming, only panty quests and games we wish would be localized as one by one the big devs leave the industry.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Considering how short-sighted the execs seem to be, I can't see them lasting for much longer. Plus they seem obsessed with that tentative gambling bill in Japan, which is an appropriate metaphor considering they're literally gambling with the company which is not a good thing.

 

[BytByte]

But, but, but....

Spoiler: but

How am I gonna find my stupid J-pop songs without them?

 

[Danbo Jambo]

Shame, Konami have produced some of my most favourite games ever, particularly on the SNES.

Contra 3, Prince of Persia, The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, Castlevania, Cybernator, Sunset Riders, Parodius etc. fond memories of them producing top of the line games for top of the line consoles.

I know they'll still be making games, but I can't help feel a bit sad I guess.

They could just re-release an upgraded version of Castlevani SOTN for all consoles, as well as a worthy sequel and make billions, but that'd be too simple lol.

 

[Danny Dowling]

Kojima should be given the rights to MGS and Silent Hill to protect it from being one of those shitty gambling machines (I know it's too late for SH, but we can save MGS).

 

[Poetic Nova]

Calling it. The next MGS game will be pachinko machine only.

 

[Saltyk]

Well, that escalated quickly. Do we have solid evidence to believe that this decision was already made a while ago? It seems that way to me, but I know very little about Konami or business decisions. it makes sense that they'd fire Kojima and threath their employees poorly and do some other things if they were planning of getting rid of their gaming division altogether, bar PES. I have to say that I believe MGS:Ground Zeroes was their first game I played so I'm not really interested in their gaming division anyway but their collapse or retreat or whatever we are looking at was/is rather spectacular.

Captcha: hit the sack. Don't be mean to Konami's employees, Captcha. They are having a hard enough time as it is.

I believe there was a Youtuber a while back who put together a video after analyzing Konami's business and recent actions. He basically theorized that Konami was pulling out of the gaming industry in favor of gambling. This was months ago and his argument was pretty convincing. Even more interesting is that Konami filed copyright claim against him in an apparent effort to silence him. Though, Konami seems to be filing copyright claims a lot nowadays.

So, yeah, I'm not even surprised. Which is probably sad. I'd actually be more surprised if Konami did make a new AAA game. Or even a new game. Not that I don't fully expect some F2P BS that preys on our love of classic Konami games.

*Sigh* *Tosses shovels out*. I'll be burying Suikoden over here, everyone else find places for MGS, Castlevania, Silent Hill and anything else these fuckers got their claws into.

It heartens me to see people on this site that remember and love Suikoden. You never seem to hear anyone actually talk about the series. But, for my money, it was one of the best JRPG series. Not that I don't love others, like the Final Fantasy series, but Suikoden had something none of the other series ever seemed to care for. They all existed in the same universe and the events and locations of other games were constantly being referenced. There even seemed to be a plan. It was always interesting to go back and play Suikoden and see Mathiu take advantage of the Jowston City State, the nation that Suikoden II takes place in.

So, brother, I invite you to remember one of the best RPG series with me. It was already dead, but it seems Konami has finally done what Viktor said he would do to Neclord.

 

[Chester Rabbit]

I like how everyone is acting as this is Konami driving the final nail in their coffin when really it's just them trading in their chips, going out and buying a nice new jacket and shades and driving off into the sunset with the top down.

No buzzards flying over head ready to pick at their bones (Get their IP's)

Let's face it Konami is going out back and digging a nice deep hole in their backyard and filling it with every IP we loved where they will remain to feed the worms for decades. No one is getting those IP's. They are going to sit on those till the end of Konami itself and even then they will only ever be used in none game related ways.

Remind me of Acitivsion with Crash when people were foolishly thinking Crash was heading to Sony. Then Activision came out and said "we have no intention of EEVVVEEEER giving up Crash" And they have no intention of doing anything with him or Spyro either.

 

[Truth Cake]

I like how everyone is acting as this is Konami driving the final nail in their coffin when really it's just them trading in their chips, going out and buying a nice new jacket and shades and driving off into the sunset with the top down.

Except not really, it's more like they're trading in their chips, then going down the street to a different casino and putting all their money there instead. Oh, and on the drive there they're flipping off and waving their willies at basically everyone they've come into contact with- their fans, Kojima certainly, everyone that they've decided should be copyright claimed... yeah, fun fun.

And it seems all their IPs are going to pachinko machines and mobile games, not just stagnation. Well, SOME of them to pachinko machines and mobiles games, at least. The bulk will be fated to tragic entropy, at least in the foreseeable future until they maybe get some half-assed mobile spinoff or pachinko machine themed after them too. :/