Apart from Pro Evolution Soccer news, like the series’ recent PlayStation Plus woes, Konami hasn’t been much of a player in the console space as of late. This doesn’t mean the publisher wants out of console game development, however. According to Konami Europe President Masami Saso, console games remain integral to the publisher’s business. Interestingly, there are even plans to expand Konami’s portfolio.
Saso spoke on this and more during a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz. The Konami boss told the publication that console game development is still at the forefront of the publisher’s business plans. In addition, innovation in the console space will also help Konami expand its influence in the mobile market.
According to Saso,
Even with new platforms coming out, we believe high-end console games are the most important. We challenge for innovative ideas and technology within our console games and apply them to other devices, so we will continue to put effort into our console games. We also plan to increase our portfolio. In addition to the multi-device titles for PES and Yu-Gi-Oh, we plan to work on projects with other globally known IPs in the near future.
It is a part of our legacy to create new ideas and IPs to fit each age, and we believe that spirit is one of the reasons for our strength in the mobile game market. We can provide high-quality mobile games because of our technology to create high-end console games, as well as having knowledge to operate games because of our experience in arcade, PC and browser games. Our extensive experience in creating games for many devices is a strength we have at Konami like no other.
Perhaps most interesting is Saso’s talk of Konami’s plan to develop projects for its “other globally known IPs in the near future.” We don’t know what this could mean yet, especially since so many of these IPs have been relatively dormant for some time. Sure, Metal Gear Survive launched in early 2018, but it didn’t assure fans of the series being in good hands since Kojima’s departure. Furthermore, the Metal Gear creator’s exit from Konami left a giant question mark over the future of Silent Hill, which seemingly is in limbo for now.
[Source: GamesIndustry.biz]
