
Konami's all but done with consoles, a report has revealed. According to French website Gameblog – with backup from Eurogamer.net – the Japanese company currently has no plans to make another Metal Gear Solid game. This contrasts with what the company said earlier in the year, when it alluded that it was recruiting a new team to replace creator Hideo Kojima and his upper staff.
Of course, it's not impossible to believe given the rumours that have been revolving around the organisation for months now. Outside of the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Online and PES 2016, the firm has a completely clean slate, with only the rights to football tournament Euro 2016 to show. It sounds like Pro Evolution Soccer is safe for now, then, but it has absolutely nothing else on the cards.
Apparently, executives have had their heads turned by the mobile market, where titles can be created for much less investment, but still make significant profits. Reports suggest that management tired of Kojima's expensive productions a while ago, with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain reportedly costing $80 million to make. Steep, but it's critically acclaimed.
To be honest, you can't really blame Konami for wanting to move away from such lavish productions, but the toxic working environment throughout the company is more of a concern. Japanese newspaper Nikkei claimed earlier in the year that employees deemed "useless" were shamed into menial tasks, and simple things like lunch breaks were monitored exhaustively.
It's really hard to imagine the firm never pumping out another Metal Gear Solid game, but we suppose that the series just doesn't align with its business strategies anymore. And the sad thing is that this exact same sentiment applies to its rich back catalogue of brands, with the likes of Castlevania, Silent Hill, and Contra presumably put out to pasture as well. Well, unless you like pachinko machines.
[source gameblog.fr, via eurogamer.net]
Comments 46
Unsurprising really. Konami has become the equivalent of zynga now. I'd rather they didn't sully the legacy of these franchises.
I would be happy with a Rising 2 on PS4
I think the best thing for the Metal Gear series would be to either go out graciously on a high note, OR have a decent company pick up the rights from Konami, re-hire Kojima and his team and let them carry on doing what they do best!
Even if it were to sell 8 million 10 million + copies?
I bet they only printed 3M blurays lol.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi
MS certainly has the money to do so. It would suck not being able to play MGS on PlayStation, but it would suck more not to have it, period. Really though, all the suits inolved with what was gone down can go straight to hell. Bunch of f'ing scumbags.
Fair enough to be honest. Even though the goings on all seem a bit odd as of late, I'm glad they are going out on a high - thanks for some really great games over the years (not least International Track and Field!!)
Bye bye Konami. :/
Well, Konami is first and foremost a business and there goal is to make a profit. If you honestly think about it will a Metal Gear game be profitable for them without Kojima? Alot of fans have spoken out saying that now that Kojima is gone they consider V to be the last MG and the series is over. Why spend millions of dollars on something that you probably won't get a good return on?
People need to remember that these companies first and foremost goal is to make money, it's how they pay their employees, feed their families etc. They go where the money is now even if that may be another Avenue of business.
Maybe they will sell the Metal Gear IP to another company? One that will be happy to continue using it.
It might even end up being the company that Hideo ends up working for or starts himself?! (Doubt it but we can dream right?!)
Kojima has wanted to stop working on MGS since the 2nd game. Each game he's said is that last one. Whether it was the fans or Konami pressuring him, it wasn't what he originally wanted to do each time he'd finished the last MGS. This will be his chance to create something completely new so I'd feel sorry for him if he ends up getting chased by MGS wherever he goes.
I've changed my mind. The best thing that could possibly happen here is for Konami to hand all the rights for Metal Gear over to Kojima, entirely free of charge, thus giving him full permission to carry on working on the series wherever he ends up working in the future. Not going to happen in a million years, but I reckon it would definitely be the ideal outcome!
"Ugh look at all this MONEY we're making, gross! No no no, no more of THIS."
What a waste. Seriously, Konami have gone mad
You forgot frogger.
Guess they don't want my money. Oh well.
I figured as much, Konami is done with console games.
A sad day for gaming. Unless someone think of new ways to play on smartphones (bring buttons back and include an analog "slider"), they're never going to create great experiences.
Make your money, but you're losing entertainment value... Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania, Bomberman, PES, everyone that played these will remember them forever and replay years after release. Mobile games (smartphones only) die, and no one cares about it. Look at Angry Birds.
Movies have higher costs than ever to produce, plays as well, TV series, pretty much everything that uses modern technology. What if everyone just abandoned it because it's too expensive? Find a way to lower the costs and make it lucrative, so you can keep creating what you want, instead of giving up for the easy and forgettable way. I bet the executives are a bunch of old and rich people that cares for nothing else but their pockets.
@get2sammyb employees deemed "useless" were shamed into menial tasks, and simple things like lunch breaks were monitored exhaustively.
That's what I did when I was a manager I should go work for Konami and fit straight in.
Kojima should go work for cdpr.
Kojima should go work for cdpr.
I used to defend konami but seems that they somehow totaly lost it. I don't think that they will sell the rights for Castlevania, Silent Hill or Metal Gear.
Did the phantom pain really had so high developement costs though? I don't see them abandoning Pro or Metal Gear.
I guess after I buy MGSV, I won't be supporting Konami anymore.
Mobile gaming is seriously ruining the true gaming market, and taking gaming backwards, instead of forwards.
@hYdeks
I agree, it has certainly poisoned and clouded the judgement of some once great Japanese companies. Hopefully the same doesn't start happening in the West.
Konami won't be seeing one penny from me anyway. I haven't picked up Metal Gear Solid PP as im waiting for Fallout 4 which means, by the time I get around to purchasing MGSPP I will find a used copy no problem.
Is mobile really that lucrative? Honestly I never play ANYTHING on my phone because the games suck soooo hard compared to actual games IMHO, or doing anything else on my phone.
I cant tell you how much I LOVE the Castlevania and Silent Hill games, even the new ones, so I'm really bummed out. Since when is gaming about the bottom line??? This absolutely sickens me. Well thankfully there's Kickstarter with NightCry and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on deck...
Well so long Konami , I'll always remember the NES , SNES, PS1 eras and the great memories I had... I'd say I wish them well but quite frankly, I could care less what happens to Konami now I just know I won't be a part of their mobile market . Oh well Igarashi and Kojima will no doubt bring the goods on their own and I'm sure anything Kojima makes next will sell millions without the support of Konami.
So long Konami, and thanks for all the great games and great memories (and the Konami Code!)
Someone else will buy the IP to Silent Hill and MGS, cos it makes no business sense for Konami to sit on franchises they don't want to develop.
Hopefully Sony picks them up.
@SuperCat
It's more likely multiple companies would pick up different IPs. Hopefully Metal Gear to Sony, and Silent Hill to MS. I'd buy whatever hardware necessary to play another proper Metal Gear, though I'd prefer it to be PlayStation. Oh, and Kojima would have to be at the helm, otherwise, don't bother.
F Konami. The least they could do in their greed is sell their IP so someone else can make the next Metal Gear, Silent Hill etc.
Eh, I never really was a Konami fan
@Gamer83 Why Silent Hill to MS? Isn't the franchise more aligned with Sony consoles. It probably wouldn't really matter to me that much one way or another, but I'm just curious.
I wish they'd sell these franchises, rather than have them waste away.
@Jaz007
That's the inner fanboy in me coming out. If Konami were to sell some big IPs there's no way MS would miss out. Both MGS and Silent Hill are more aligned with PlayStation but MGS has such a great legacy on PlayStation and just as I can't see myself playing Mass Effect or Splinter Cell on anything other than Xbox, I can't imagine, nor do I want to play Metal Gear on anything but PlayStation. SH is a good series but I can do without it. But MS would definitely be in it to get something so that's how I'd want it to break down. Ideally, a third party like Bethesda or Take Two jumps in and gets Metal Gear so everybody can keep enjoying it.
Believe it or not, I still have a little hope, although it fades each day, that somebody at Konami wakes the f**k up and realizes what they're doing right now is idiotic. Making mobile games doesn't mean the AAA market has to be abandoned.
I work in recruitment in Japan and I've met several HR people from Konami. They're not a happy bunch and generally not in favour of the direction of the company.
@hi_drnick
Well, hopefully for them they can get by for now and eventually find a place where they can be happy again.
@Gamer83 there is a lot of turnover on the corporate side. The general sentiment is that the current ceo is ruining the company.
I think its for the best. Better than have them churn out mediocre sequels and ruin the MGS legacy. And for Kojima its time to start making something new as well.
@Gamer83 I can see all 3 eating up Konami IP really.
MSG and Silent Hill would probably be a toss up between Microsoft and Sony, giving it to one of the first parties they own. Hudson and Castlevania is probably best going to Nintendo, especially with the term "Metroidvania" and the handheld track record. Actually isn't Nintendo already licensing some Hudson IP from Konami anyway?
Anyway, you can probably fob off each IP based on genre and audience.
If they really want to get out of the triple A console gaming biz, they should just sell their I.P. to the highest bidder. It would be disappointing to see franchises like Castlevania and Silent Hill stay dormant for years or worse yet, become match 3 mobile games.
@Volcanox
MGS, Silent Hill, Castlevania and Contra are IPs that Konami has that I'd most like to see sold off. MGS to Sony because of the legacy there. Castlevania and Contra would be perfect for Nintendo, again mostly because of legacy but also those games add something a bit different to Nintendo's already vast and varied library, and then MS can have Silent Hill. It's not a popular opinion here but I actually have a lot of respect for MS as a publisher - some of my favorite games since 2001 have had the MS label on them - and think it could do great things for Silent Hill. Certainly much more good than the new Konami will do.
@Gamer83 I have a lot of respect for MS as a publisher too. They had a few games on Nintendo hardware I think at one point, and they are NOWHERE near as restrictive as, unfortunately, Sony can be with some of their teams. MS seems to be approaching that "Western Nintendo" status. Branching out more, you know? I say give em Silent Hill, let em make some solid horror, give Nintendo stuff like Castlevania and Gradius and Contra and make solid Action titles out of them, and give Sony MGS and let them make solid movies out of them.
@Volcanox
For my gaming tastes I'd actually say MS isn't approaching Nintendo, but is ahead of them. And the last couple years it looks like they're finally getting back to where they were in the early days of the 360 when it was more than just Halo, Gears and Forza. I still love those 3 franchises but it's nice to see Quantum Break, ReCore, Scalebound, Sea of Thieves (not my kind of game but does look like Rare's best in a while)...
@Gamer83 MS is ahead in some regards. They dropped their arrogance from the 360 later years and are trying new IP out, and reviving old ones. Nintendo is doing that too, though the only new IP to truly break out is Splatoon, and since the 3DS arrived old franchises have been getting new leases of life.
I just think it's two different ways of going about it. Both have been hampered by their consoles, cant compete with Sony and probably never will be able to again (Except Nintendo in handhelds because Sony dropped the ball) so they now have to hit the areas that Sony either ballsed up in, or wont touch for a while.
For Nintendo its mobile, handhelds and other areas with new ideas, because Sony tried and messed up in those fields, and for MS its in their outstanding business beyond gaming, which they have over Sony since they are focusing more on PS each day.
@NomNom Agreed. Let someone else take care of these games that have been around for 30 years.
Someone please take silent hill on
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