Konami Digital Entertainment President Hideki Hayakawa sat down with Nikkei recently, addressing some of the more recent stories surrounding the company, including the status of Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and the thought that they would solely become a mobile developer going forward.
In a translated statement sent to Polygon, Konami said, “We are aware that the conjecture surrounding our recent changes has prompted a great deal of anxiety, for which we apologize.”
After saying they’ve been overwhelmed by the support of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain fans, and mentioning that the “development team is diligently working together to ensure those high expectations are answered in full,” Konami continued:
We would also like to take this opportunity to state that 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, but we are not currently at a stage where we can announce the path these future titles will take.
Konami will continue to embrace the challenge of creating entertainment content via different platforms; across not only mobile platforms, but for home consoles, arcade units, and cards, to meet the changing needs of the times.
As for their focus on mobile games, he explained:
Our aim is to continue to build up a comprehensive portfolio of console, arcade, and card game titles for each IP while also making the best possible use of the mobile devices that accompany our customers in their daily life, thus expanding the limits of entertainment and appealing to more and more customers.
Potentially revealing what happened with Hideo Kojima, Hayakawa talked about their new centralized production division system, which was introduced on March 16:
With the new structure, we will also be making clear distinctions between management and creative roles. Until now, in addition to game development duties, our creators were handling a wide range of responsibilities including managerial roles. This can be a helpful approach when a studio concentrates on progressively specializing in a specific style of product, but we have found that a sudden market shift can render that specialization invalid and leave the studio unable to keep up.
What do you think about Konami’s latest comments?
[Source: Polygon]
