Update: The demo for Soloman Program is available in Japan, so footage has started appearing online:
https://twitter.com/c3syou2/status/1217994595193122816
https://twitter.com/c3syou2/status/1217990187982000128
https://twitter.com/c3syou2/status/1218014355398119424
Original Story [Mon 13th Jan, 2020 14:30 GMT]: Konami was once the toast of the video gaming world thanks to franchises like Gradius, Contra, Metal Gear, Castlevania and Ganbare Goemon, but in more recent years the company has faded into the background, content to use its stable of IP to create pachinko machines and pump out yearly Pro Evolution Soccer updates.
However, there are signs that Konami is beginning to take games development seriously again. Super Bomberman R was a neat Switch launch title, and Contra: Rogue Corps – while something of a disappointment critically – did at least show that the company knows its past titles still hold some value. We've also benefitted from Contra, Castlevania and arcade collections recently, all of which showcase Konami's previous glories.
The firm's rehabilitation might not be quite complete yet, but the news that it is producing a brand-new IP for Switch has certainly filled us with hope. CoroCoro Online (via Gematsu) has revealed that Solomon Program is in development for Nintendo's console, and that it will be supported by a manga adaptation published in special edition of MiraCoro Comic Ver. 2.0.
While the game is described as a 'monster battler', the action is turn-based rather than real-time. The aim is to use your monsters to defeat others using a series of commands which have to be inputted into a machine. Like Pokémon, there will be an element of 'collecting' monsters in the game, as well as RPG mechanics.
Outside of that, information is sketchy, but we do know that the special issue of MiraCoro Comic which contains the manga will also include a demo code for the game. It's due for publication on January 17th in Japan.
[source videogamer.com]
Comments 67
Sounds interesting!
Konami stil doing games ?
They finally stopped their long slow suicide march ?
..Doubt it but here is hoping.
Switch pro has a coin slot, confirmed?
Very interesting to say the least!
Looks interesting, hope it comes west
@NEStalgia
Might be a new joycon.
@NEStalgia You want to level up your Pikamon? That's 50 cents please!
No really, it looks promising, I'll keep an eye out for it. Let's hope it's good and not filled with MTX or something stupid like that.
@PlayedNSlayed
...Capcom ?
Konami and Capcom aren't the same company.
so it's... Digimon
@ummyeahnintendo
It's Konamimon.
You have my attention Konami.
Probably just Yu-Gi-Oh!
Konami owns that franchise and most of the games are turn based and have monsters.
Konami should just port over its past games, see if gamers bite, and maybe make a couple new games that are even just more contra rebirth caliber. I play endless Mario levels thanks to maker, I’d be content playing endless contra levels...
Why more companies don’t do more ports when gaming is only getting bigger and more accessible to old guys like me, with kids and a career that isn’t gaming, but can play 40 minutes of Witcher of my break each day, then smash and Mario with kids at night, and while wife watching something on tv, keeps me playing a couple hours a day even at 37.
Would really love for the corpse of Konami to shake the dust off. Somebody over there has to be seeing the way Capcom has killed it for the last 5 years or so and gritting their teeth about it.
Cool. Curious to see what this look like.
@Anti-Matter I think Hyper Sports has vanished!
New IP is fine, but what I really wish from Konami is a new Castlevania. Problem is, without the main creative mind behind it, the series story was left in some kind of cliffhanger I wonder if a new writer would take it to the direction Iga was planning
@Damo
Aw, too bad if they scrapped their Hyper Sports R. 😕
But don't worry.
SEGA has their Tokyo 2020,complete with character customization. 😉
Btw, Konami pushed their efforts for mobile games with their Sound Voltex, Beatmania IIDX and Dance Dance Revolution on mobile.
For me it was a stupid decision since playing those games with tiny screen on smartphone, it feels awkward and hard to see. Even they have provided their peripheral such as Sound Voltex controller, Beatmania IIDX controller, DDR metal Pad (Yes! I want DDR metal Pad) for mobile, playing them from mobile devices with converter to TV screen sounds like a horrible ideas. Like it was forced to mobile, mobile, just mobile.
I heard Pachinko machines will be prohibited / banned in Japan on this year, so Konami must put their effort for their Rhythm arcade games goes to console.
Dang, was sorta hoping they’d do something with the monster battling from Bomberman, I always loved that feature and would’ve like a full game just for it!
@Anti-Matter we can only hope someday DDR becomes big again. I feel like the series was best with Max 2 and Extreme, after that it slowly went down in quality (though I never got to try DDR A). I miss being able to go to a local arcade and spending a bunch of time playing that! Or even just playing at home (though the arcade machines were always better).
@KitsuneNight Wrong discussion 😁
It's made by Konami so I simply don't care.
still no Metal Gear on Switch, Konami slacking
Might be fun. I won't judge until it's out.
Hmm kinda reminds me more of yugioh actually.
A smishmash of popular Japan stuff
...This isn't Monster Hunter Stories! >.<
@Anti-Matter Too bad their gambling division is what earns them the most money. The video game part is just a small part of the company.
You may as well ask Sony to stop making sound hardware and TV to focus on the PlayStation.
Is it like a virtual pachinko machine? I'm confused.
Also, I'm pretty much done with Konami. I tear up at the mere thought of what we could have had if Kojima only had left Konami right after Metal Gear Solid 3. Death Stranding was outlandishly good and proved beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Konami were the ones holding Kojima back for well over a decade by the time he finally left.
For all I care, they can go away and never come back. Case in point: Contra Rogue Corps. No point in even elaborating on SIlent Hill and so on. As Mr. Sterling likes to put it more succinctly: **** Konami!
Can we get this in West please Konami? This is magnificent!
Not interested if Konami is involved.
@KitsuneNight Skeptical of that, too. "Micromon: The Endless Transaction Wars" will probably be a more appropriate title, but I will have a look anyway.
I would prefer new Castlevania and Silent Hill
Do they own the Suikoden IP? Get something done about it Konami!
@m8e3point1415
A suicide march as far as gaming is concerned.
Oh Konami, I don't want your gambling mechanics in my video games. EA has already beat you to that punch, along with every other US publisher. We have enough problems with the industry let alone deal with yours. Go back to your plenkico machines.
Color me intrigued I wonder what they will do with this genre they have a well deserved bad rep so I wonder what they can bring to the table that others havent already done
Konami is developing a game?
Trying to release a new IP into the monster collecting and battling genre is like trying to release a new IP into the "realistic" FPS genre...
It's almost DOA regardless of quality. If it's not Pokemon or Digimon, almost no one will pay attention. Just like with "realistic" FPS games, if it's not Call of Duty or Battlefield, no one will pay attention.
I can't be the only one who looked at that thumbnail, thought that the left-hand word looked like "Joe" and irrationally thought this was an article about Viewtiful Joe coming to Switch.
Konami was one of my favourite video game companies in the 80s, but Konami isn't Konami anymore. Their latest game, Contra Rogue Corps, is horrendous. They can't even do a Contra game. Independent companies are making great Contra games (see Blazing Chrome), yet Konami can't do the same. The Castlevania and Contra collections they recently released look like they were made by people who have never played a Castlevania or Contra game.
I'm not holdings it much hope for this after the last efforts from Nintendo exclusive komami producers.
Konami is a... brilliant company with lots of well thought-out, practical, ideas. They are insuring the financial security of this company for years to come. Oh yes, and their personal hygiene is above reproach!
That's what i would say if this were 1990. Sadly It's 2020 and well you know the rest!
It looks somewhat interesting at a glance but we'll see what the finished product is like.
@NEStalgia : Don't give them any ideas. Imagine a future console with a credit card NFC reader. shudders
Piggish publishers are quickly turning home consoles into glorified coin-op machines.
Looks terrible.
Konami most likely doesn't have the staff to develop AAA titles anymore so I wasn't really expecting much.
I am certainly interested.
@KBuckley27 metal gear HD collection please. Ooooo weee! 👌
This looks intriguing, yes.
Looks lame. Konami should port over their Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania Lords of Shadow and Silent Hill games over to Switch instead.
Looks interesting, but I still want a Metal Gear Solid HD Collection or the Castlevania of PS3 and Xbox 360
Stop asking for remakes and ports! I can’t believe people buy that stuff. A new game, especially a new IP, is always my preference. These new 2 second glimpses (you couldn’t record a bit more?!?!) look pretty good. Hopeful it does well and we see an English version.
@Silly_G Yep. Though, really, via stored billing information and online accounts, we already have that and don't need the $5 NFC reader attached.
In the 90's the home console was the bane of the arcade industry con op profits. In the 21st century, real-time continuous connection to everyone's bank account has reversed it so you no longer need to insert coins to continue, they just take it from you and send you a statement the next month telling you how much they non-refundably took for your continues.
I wonder if we'll keep going this way, where the whole world is just one big coin op machine until you run out of money, or if some cataclysm will reverse it and people will start going back to cash.
Not gonna lie, this looks pretty dope! def has pontential! X)
Looks interesting from what was showed. Hope the complete game be a good game.
@NEStalgia Lol!
@Heavyarms55 Not neccesarily. Monster Ranchers and Yokai Watch, while not big contenders do decently enough. And the former is due for a comeback of sorts.
@SmaggTheSmug So when do you think they'll try and conquer Nevada casinos? Gambling isn't illegal in the west. XD
@Tempestryke Major fans of the genre will know those series for sure. But they are like, the outfielders on a baseball team. Some people who really like it know of them and they have a loyal fanbase, but they are so completely overshadowed that outside of that base they are almost unknown.
I think the gambling laws have changed in Japan so Konami have to come crawling back to making proper video games again...
"However, there are signs that Konami is beginning to take games development seriously again"
Did you play Contra Rogue Corps? It's one of the worst games ever made, I saw Angry Joe doing a 3 player stream with it and on Steam there were 4 people playing it worldwide and 3 of them were on the stream I was watching. What other gems have we had recently? Oh yeah Metal Gear Survive and we haven't seen Castlevania since the PS3. Konami were once one of the very best developers in the world but today they aren't even a shadow of that. I would like nothing more than for Konami to return to being a great developer but they have done nothing to suggest such a thing is going to happen
@Tempestryke How do you know there aren’t Konami-developed slot machines or the like in the west? I best there are novelty casinos in Europe or US that have Pachinko machines. I don’t gamble so I wouldn’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
konamis yearly piece of garbage
Monster Battling and Solomon...
I guess nobody remembers Tecmo made a Solomon's Key sequel for the GBC that was a Monster Rancher crossover ("Monster Rancher Explorer". (though the Japanese version was just called "Solomon" it still had the monsters in it, though the western version was more obvious in its connection)
@ShadJV After hearing about the "Brain Power" internet meme, and later learning its game title "Sound Voltex II" I should've guess it was a Konami music game from the title.
@SmaggTheSmug Good point. I don't gamble either so I dunno? They might.
@KingMike I never owned the two original Gameboys.
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