Konami will still be developing for consoles, Metal Gear is ‘extremely important’ to the company
In an interview with business publication Nikkei, Konami president Hideki Hayakawa clarified some of his recent comments regarding the company’s new course and emphasis on mobile gaming, saying that the reports ‘lacked the necessary context’. In addition, Konami issued an official press release, stating that these comments ’caused unrest within our key stakeholders including our community, members of the press, our partners, and our fans’, and that they ‘are aware that the conjecture surrounding our recent changes has prompted a great deal of anxiety, for which we apologize’.
Hayakawa explained Konami is still committed to home consoles, and will be embracing all kinds of different platforms in the future.
Konami will continue to embrace the challenge of creating entertainment content via different platforms. Not only mobile platforms, but for home consoles, arcade units, and cards, to meet the changing needs of the times.
Earlier this year several of Konami’s internal studios were disbanded during a restructuring of the company. Hayakawa explained the reason for this change.
The aim of this reform [to a ‘centralised production division system’] has been to guarantee that, in the quickly changing digital entertainment industry where new game designs and platforms constantly alter the market environment, we can accurately observe new customer demands and market trends, and apply our long-established technology and knowhow quickly and effectively with a range of targeted responses.
He didn’t say anything about Kojima’s rumored departure, but simply stated that he and the team ‘are hard at work in the new production division system’. The official press release continues to add that the company is ‘overwhelmed by the outpouring of support’ for MGSV: The Phantom Pain.
Regarding the release of “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain,” we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from fans in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and elsewhere worldwide who are eagerly awaiting the game’s much anticipated September 1st launch. To this end, the development team is diligently working together to ensure those high expectations are answered in full.
Picture by Ed K. from Chicago
On the future of some of their franchises, Hayakawa said:
[The] Metal Gear and Silent Hill series, both beloved by countless fans around the globe, are also extremely important to Konami. We have nurtured them with care over many years since their inception, and will continue to produce products for both franchises.
However, he didn’t have any concrete announcements to make at this time:
But we are not currently at a stage where we can announce the path these future titles will take … Your support for our current endeavors, and your spurring us on to greater heights, are as always deeply appreciated.
Source: Nikkei, via Gamespot, Konami Press Release (via AllGamesBeta)
