Konami: The Decline Of A Gaming Giant

With the announcement that Konami are to refocus their business on mobile platforms, a once-great game developer and publisher stepped away from an arena that they were once at the forefront of. From its humble beginnings as a jukebox rental company, to its reimagining as an arcade game manufacturer, it was in the early 80s with titles such as Frogger, Scramble and Track & Field that the company’s fortunes were set.

Konami’s entry into the console arena came when they began to make games for Nintendo’s Family Computer, or the beloved Nintendo Entertainment System as we know it in the West. Some of the console’s best-selling and most iconic titles, such as Gradius, Castlevania and Metal Gear, belonged to Konami, and their success cemented the company’s place as one of the major players in the video game industry.

Throughout the 16-bit era, Konami remained an important part of the games industry, becoming well known for creating quality action-titles such as Axelay, Rocket Knight Adventures and Zombies Ate My Neighbours, as well as for releasing a number of licensed games based on the Batman and Tiny Toon franchises.

During this time, and indeed for a number of the following years, Konami did an excellent job of protecting their key franchises, with well-received entries in the Castlevania, Contra, and Gradius series providing the backbone of their business. Sadly though, this didn’t always remain the case, and awkward 3D entries sat alongside yearly editions of rhythm-action games, both of which saw diminishing returns as time went on.

In 1998 Konami revived the series which is likely to become their most lasting legacy in the home console arena. With the release of Hideo Kojima’s original Metal Gear Solid, they staked a claim to both the stealth-action genre, and to one of the richest veins of storytelling and dramatisation in video games.

It’s interesting that Hideo Kojima’s exit from the company was the first indication that a big change was to come, with the former Vice President of Konami Digital Entertainment leaving after nearly thirty years service. An enigmatic figure with a penchant for both virtual and real-life drama, Kojima thankfully remains involved in the forthcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain despite having had his name removed from the game’s title. One would hope that this will ensure this entry in the series remains true to its creator’s vision, and will be a genuine Metal Gear game, but franchise fans have to be concerned for a future without him at the helm.

Hideo Kojima’s exit is explicitly tied to the closure of the Silent Hills project which he was due to produce with director Guillermo Del Toro. Whether a deciding factor, or a result of his loss, this is potentially the most tragic fallout of the whole endeavour, as last year’s P.T. demo indicated the genuinely terrifying possibilities the PlayStation 4 was capable of, and with two entertainment visionaries at the helm, who knows what might have been.

Konami’s withdrawal of the P.T. demo is salt in the still-raw wound. The potential of the horror game, and for the genre as a whole, of a collaboration between Hideo Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro, is one that we can only hope comes to fruition in another form. P.T.’s hugely positive reception, and its subsequent removal from the PlayStation Store, only adds to the mystery surrounding events, which is perhaps only fitting considering the subject matter. Konami have stated that they plan to continue with the Silent Hill franchise, though whether we’ll see an AAA title is something that only time will tell.

Despite protest otherwise, Konami’s decision to focus on mobile development is perhaps not so surprising when you look at their most recent console output. Beyond the Metal Gear series, and Pro Evolution Soccer, very little indication of the company’s illustrious past remains, with last year’s poorly received Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2 potentially a nail in an already well-secured coffin.

The Castlevania sequel would be an odd choice to base the decision on mind you, as the original Lords Of Shadow was the best-selling Castlevania game of all time. Its sequel had the misfortune of high expectations and releasing on last-gen consoles when the industry zeitgeist had already moved to PS4 and Xbox One. If the desire had been there it’s the kind of package that other publishers would have seen as ripe for remastering, but it would seem unlikely now.

It’s safe to assume then that the change has been brewing at Konami for a number of years. Why now though? Financial performance for the company as a whole improved in 2015, with no indication of problems. Pro Evolution Soccer’s myClub mode has provided a solid income stream from the brand, and of course this September finally sees the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain on all of the major gaming platforms.

Could it have been Kojima’s exit? Did one cause the other? At this stage we simply don’t know whether the loss of their most iconic series’ directors could have caused a final rethink of the company’s gaming business. It’s possible that the Silent Hills cancellation came as a result of his departure, but equally Konami may have helped push him out the door if they planned on stopping its development as part of their ongoing restructuring.

It’s most likely that Kojima’s departure was in response to the company’s change of direction, particularly as his input has been crucial to the success that Konami have enjoyed over the years. It’s possible that he no longer wanted to be part of an organisation that was barely recognisable from the one he began his career with twenty-nine years previously, and particularly one where he would be unlikely to ever produce games like Boktai or Zone Of The Enders again. The move to mobile may suit some creators, but Kojima’s focus on story-telling and on pushing technological boundaries perhaps makes him less of an obvious choice.

Konami’s key franchise’s probably played a major part in the decision. While it would be foolish to write off series purely because their traditional form doesn’t fit with what’s in vogue, the company’s heavy investment in the rhythm-action genre with Beatmania and Dance Dance Revolution is perhaps more suited for a mobile-game reimagining than a home console one. Having said that, their history with scrolling shooters such as Gradius, Twinbee or Gyruss could see modern versions that would have been ideal for the PSN/Xbox Live marketplaces.

Chances are that in order to maximise the success of their move to mobile, we will be seeing more updated versions of Konami classics, or at the very least suitably branded series entries. The continuous improvements in mobile technology doesn’t necessarily mean that a touch-screen Silent Hill can’t be a meaningful experience, though serious gamers may still be reticent to step away from the immersion of their home set-ups. Perhaps we’ll see a new Suikoden or Vandal Hearts, both of which could work as mobile titles. It doesn’t have to be the death-knell for the company that some would have it, as long as it’s more Metal Gear Acid and less Metal Gear: Fruit Ninja.