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Some of the Nintendo Life team on the wrong side of 30-years-old recall the days when Konami was a true powerhouse brand in gaming. The Castlevania franchise was hugely popular, Pro Evolution Soccer was the mainstream choice ahead of EA's FIFA - really, that was a thing - and Hideo Kojima could get unlimited column inches by being slightly peculiar and releasing iconic Metal Gear games.

Konami has been having a poor period for some time, however, Those first two franchises above have begun to struggle commercially and/or lose credibility with fans, and recently there's been a very public split from Hideo Kojima. Add in the cancellation of Silent Hills - and the related contracts with Guillermo Del Toro and Walking Dead star Norman Reedus - and there's a lot of hand-wringing going on.

The latest major move from Konami, which has been in the works since last year, is that it's de-listed itself from the New York Stock Exchange - it's still listed on the equivalent Tokyo and London markets. In practical terms this may matter little due to minimal trading of its shares in New York, and it saves the company a reported $5 million a year. Nevertheless, with all that's been happening some have interpreted it as another worrying sign.

Ultimately, Konami is certainly scaling back and re-assessing its next moves, it seems. The developer / publisher hasn't been particularly active from a Nintendo fan's perspective, either, though with undoubted prompting and assistance from Nintendo has still been releasing a number of its classics on the 3DS and Wii U Virtual Console platforms.

For Konami fans, however - especially those that remember those all-conquering NES and SNES years - it's a slightly worrying time.

[source polygon.com]