We recently reported on rumours that suggested veteran publisher Konami was abandoning AAA console development with the exception of its Pro Evolution Soccer series.
The report - published by French site Gameblog but seemingly verified by other sites who had done their own digging - was triggered by news that worldwide technology director Julien Merceron had left the company.
Merceron is the latest in a long list of talent which has parted ways with Konami in recent years, and on such evidence alone it would appear that the publisher is changing the way it operates within the gaming sphere. The lack of any big-name releases on the horizon also seems rather odd.
However, just like it did earlier in the year when similar rumours surfaced, Konami has publicly refuted these reports via one of its representatives:
I can promise you that we're definitely not leaving Metal Gear behind or anything like that. I know some blogs were claiming that online this morning, but I'm not really sure where they'd be getting that from.
We're still definitely working on console games and franchises such as Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania, PES and all the rest.
Konami is currently staffing-up for a new Metal Gear game - without the assistance of series creator Hideo Kojima, who is also believed to have left the company - but hasn't announced what kind of project it will be.
Join us in a few months when we'll no doubt be reporting on fresh rumours that Konami is turning its back on console games.
Comments 39
They have been since ten years ago, so it's obviously a lie.
Konami? Who is... Oh, you mean that publisher with the same name who put out all sorts of awesome games in the 80's and 90's? Shame about their mid-2000 death. No idea who these people are but they sure aren't any Konami I know.
@Chaotic_Eevee Of course they are not the Konami you know. Look at them, all they have is a bunch of IPs with no one to handle them properly.
Every big "visionaire" has left them.
Its Sega / Capcom all over again. The only functional company from the golden days is Nintendo.
Funny to think, that it is the one company that is always scolded for "not changing" and yet, its the only one still standing rather firmly.
@Einherjar It was meant as an entry of sarcastic irony, but yes I agree.
Just sell the properties worth a damn to publishers who will actually make good use of them and walk away. That's where I'm at with the new Konami. Everything that has gone on there recently is beyond a freaking joke.
They're "still working" on a Castlevania game? Has this been reported earlier?
@Sinton Clam down, it's just the Erotic Voilence pachinko machine they announced earlier this year.
@Chaotic_Eevee I know, im just in a ranting mood ^^
The weather is grey, it hasnt stopped raining for days, lets call it an early winter depression and be done with it
#hitthelever
Cancels Silent Hills(which had the potential to not only bring back the Silent Hill franchise, but to bring it back to it's glory which was SH 1-3) and removes the PT demo from PSN...
"We're still definitely working on console games and franchises such as Silent Hill."
Nice one Konami.
I worry about Metal Gear without Kojima, however I would be happy if they make a sequel to Rising/Revengence. It more or less did its own thing anyway so it doesn't need to have the dense storytelling of the other Metal Gear games.
Hmm. I don't believe them.
@KryptoKrunch now now, Metal Gear Mobile and Silent Hill Shuffle counts...
#ScrewKonami
@Sir_JBizzle You forgot Vampire Killer Erotic Crush Saga!!;
All I can say is... PROVE IT KONAMI.
They can say they aren't leaving, Announce something, anything. Even if it was just a MGS 1-5 (and PO/PW) bundle/remaster, a downloadable castlevania. Hell i'd settle for knowing MGSV was getting further support
Although I have no respect for Konami and am frustrated by the fact they've let so many wonderful franchises die, I also would like to remind everyone that very few Japanese AAA franchises have been successful in the past few years. If Konami can't make money selling Castlevania and alike then they shouldn't just throw millions at them. Sega couldn't make money out of Bayonetta or Shenmue, Namco struggle to find a business model for Tekken, Capcom had to get Sony to pay for SF5 and are lost in the wilderness over what to with RE7 and still haven't broken MH in the west. Square Enix seem to do okay with FF but people are starting to doubt the quality, while it even needs to sell a western title like Tomb Raider to guarantee they'll get paid.
Of course it's true to say that without games with meat on them, the Mobile sector will dry up quickly as these iconic Japanese IP's lose their sheen. I wonder if the true business model for Japanese developers is Nintendo. Instead of committing 50-100m to make a game (a crime everyone seems to forgive Kojima for), Nintendo have done really well with polished mid tier games. Castlevania and Contra could live again if they weren't expected to sell a million units each time. The AAA model in the West is even is starting to look a little unsafe with sequel fatigue, so I think all companies need to start tightening their budgets.
I can never see them stopping development on Metal Gear so these rumors and reports can't be completely true. Even Castlevania which is one of their flagship series is guaranteed to be in their game rotation. (Who knows what form though.) Sucks how both the creator of Castlevania and Metal Gear have parted ways from Koonami. These are definitely controversial times for this company.
@MrGawain
I'd agree, developers need to change the way they make games. Maybe share an engine, maybe do more with less. Or games need to accept that photorealistic games are something to expensive to be made.
And I say more, ultra hd graphics are killing the industry, so I hope that NX is a mix of portable/home console with great, but not so amazing, graphics.
Gonna need some hard evidence, Konami.
Sure you are, Konami
@Sinister
I can't believe companies have not approached Konami about buying their IPs. Of course maybe they have but it's not made public. Nintendo fronted the money for Bayonetta 2 to be made, why not front some money for Konami to produce a game exclusive to a Nintendo system.
@Einherjar
Namco are still functional if you count them as a company from the golden days.
@MrGawain
I totally agree! This AAA mentality is bad for the industry and will eventually lead to a few bankruptcies along the way.
Silent Hill? LIES!
Sell your IP, Konami...
"...and all the rest"?
It is ok Konami...you can break up with us...just don't string us along!
Staffing up a new Metal Gear game? Ha! Good luck,Konami...
Notice how he says "and all the rest". This simply means that they have completely forgotten the fact that they own Hudson.
I can't believe we didn't have a Bomberman game for the 3DS.......
oh.....konami konami konami how about you just sell your ips like metal gear solid and your other ips that you refused to make new games of . yes I know that the new metal gear is selling amazing right now but the big question is since kojima left konami is what is next for them? i mean it would kinda be better for them to move on and sell there ips . you people read the stories on how konami treats there development teams and workers. konami one of these days i hope you sell your ips to companys that will make better use of your other ips and metal gear .
@Einherjar I would say Namco Bandai is still doing well. The only real argument you could make against them is that they are still relying on their lineup of games from the past couple of decades (Tekken, Soul Calibur, Tales, Ace Combat, and licensed anime games like Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto)
Their output has been solid and nobody has a bad opinion of them.
@Einherjar "But Nintendo is doomed and should go third-party like all of my other favorite Japanese game companies who are doing so well right now because of all of their cool super mature games they release on all platforms unlike Nintendo which is so dumb and keeps making weak consoles that I like pointing out sell badly even when their sales become stabilized with great games, consoles that I only buy for Marozeldoidoon and other games which are so kiddie even if they are fun and memorable. Nintendo NEEDS to grow up and start doing what everyone else is doing (no one EVER tries to emulate Nintendo in any way, shape, or form) or goodbye mushrooms forever." - your coming opposition
(New Metal Gear staffers on their first day)
"I'm ready to get to work, where's the new Metal Gear game?"
"Here is your bucket, your mop, your hat."
What could they possibly do with Castlevania with no Igarashi after LoS2 happened? I guess they could outsource development to an indie developer, or else it would take some real insanity to make another 3D entry in the series. After they inevitably remake Metal Gear 1 and 2, nobody will accept a Metal Gear without Kojima - at least one starring Snake.
@Caryslan Totally forgot about Namco, my bad. Yes, they are also doing rather well and, like you said, also concentrate mostly on their tried and true formulars. They still dish out the occasional Pac-Man game, both for arcade lovers and ones for their platformer fans. They regularly revive their oldschool library and they improve but dont change their mainstay IPs.
@Gauchorino You just made my day and won a lifetime support of cookies But seriously, i grew numb to these kind of arguments. If Nintendo would have followed suit, they could have endet like Sega / Komani / Capcom who all tried to follow western game designers.
Like Caryslan above already said, Namco is also going rather strong. What are they doing ? Japanese stuff, arcade games, anime fighters. The same guff they always did.
@Caryslan ...wait did I miss a soul calibur game? Aside from the crap free to play they killed...Bamco is sorta sitting on their fighting games franchises. (Yeah I saw Tekken.)
Ok, I'm questioning this article. Why did you leave out that the response was from a customer service rep, who would be one of the last people to know of important changes like that?
A customer service rep is far from an official denial.
they lie, and it's sad.
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