We were skeptical when we heard that Konami’s president Hideki Hayakawa has said that the company “will pursue mobile games aggressively”. We were outraged when Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima left the company, with his own Kojima Productions studio being dissolved. We cried when Konami ceased production of Silent Hills earlier this year. Alas, what Mr. Hayakawa said has indeed been proved to be true.
According to reports by French Site Gameblog all production on triple-A titles for both consoles (and the PC) has ceased, while worldwide technology director Julien Merceron, who was also in charge of the Fox engine (which Metal Gear Solid V runs on) has left the company. Apparently Merceron was not pleased with Konami’s decision to transition away from the console market towards mobile gaming. He wasn’t the only apparently. Rika Muranaka, composer at Konami that worked on the Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania series tweeted:
https://twitter.com/unjazzmusic/status/644836300013441024
Furthermore it appears that there are no plans in store for a new Metal Gear game, with Pro Evolution Soccer being the only title not to get the axe, due to its popularity in Japan, where Konami is headquartered. The impending Metal Gear Online is still planned for launch, though it is seen as an expansion for the recently released Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
This comes as 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. What this means for Konami in general is still to be seen, though they do have the licence for Euro 2016, so perhaps they may make use of that.
What’s seen is a rising trend in game developers as they shift more focus to mobile gaming. With nearly everybody you know holding a smartphone it came as no surprise when Square Enix announced it was shifting focus from consoles to mobile gaming back in May and even Nintendo stated they would be making games for mobiles.
If you’re a fan of Konami, you have my sympathies… And I hope you love PES.
