After fans and shareholders alike shrieked at the idea that Konami was abandoning console games in favour of a move into mobile gaming and gambling, the company has issued a desperate statement insisting that it has no plans to exit the console gaming market.
In a letter to Polygon, Konami had this to say on the recent reorganisation that saw Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima marginalised and potentially exorcised from the company:
“The aim of this reform 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,” according to the letter. “The reorganization process has entailed repositioning our production studios, shifting our game development to a more centralized production division system. Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain director Hideo Kojima and his team members are hard at work in the new production division system, bringing the game ever closer to completion.
We are aware that the conjecture surrounding our recent changes has prompted a great deal of anxiety, for which we apologize.”
Konami has amended the previous statements of its new President, Hideki Hayakawa, regarding mobile gaming, saying that the move will mark an expansion of Konami’s output, rather than mobile gaming usurping console games. However, with only two games expected from Konami this year – Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 – the company could hardly reduce its console output any further.
Thank you Polygon for providing us with this information.
