Konami: 'traditional' games just aren't worth the effort

Wired:"To many players, video game publisher Konami's recent behaviour has been... odd."

[SaveFerris]

If Konami licensed the Metal Gear franchise, which developer could do it justice (besides KojiPro of course)?

[wakeNbake]

Sony Japan Studio.

[Haru]

That and GG

[Dacapn]

I'm going to go ahead and say it. GG has a shitty track record IMO. Never played KZ1, but I liked KZ2 despite some very obvious control issues, KZ3 was straight doo doo butter though some of the game modes were pretty ambitious, and Shadowfall was decent at best, but even less ambitious than KZ2. Overall GG has a history of disappointing me.

[Moldiver]

Typical statement from big japanese devs these days. It comes across as lazy too. Not worth the effort? yet other devs are making millions off console games. Come better than that konami. It best you step out of the arena anyway.

So this is how it looks now....unless MS, sony or Nintendo fund a japanese third party dev to make a AAS game, they wont make one, and just focus on 3DS and other mobile platforms. I guess I better move that 3DS purchase up the list of things to buy this year. at this rate it will be the only way to play traditional style japanese games.

[Peace_Love_and_FPS]

Think I might get a 3DS too, for smash Bros

[comebackkid9891]

queue the raging j-mongers coming to their defense with cries of profit and survivalism.

[mushroomwig]

"Mobile is where the future of gaming lies"

Jesus, I really hope not

[Timesplitter14]

the sad thing is that they are probably right

[gangsta_red]

They are right, just look at the crazy profits devs are receiving just from the mobile platform.

From the article they have had the most success and biggest returns from the mobile market. There was a recent article about a Japanese mobile company getting 2 mill daily from their game. That is insane.

Mobile is huge, as much as a lot of people on this site don't want to believe it but it is. And this is why you see a lot of Japanese developers focusing on mobile and not consoles.

[Kal-V3]

"Mobile is where the future of us making more money off of gaming lies"
There i corrected it for them.

They are only saying this to protect their investment.

If they weren't investing so heavily into it, would they be saying its the future. It's only the future because they are pushing it that way.

[PlayableGamez]

If mobile gaming is going to be the future, well I guess I won't game anymore.

I rather not game at all than game on mobile.

[Kal-V3]

I wouldn't game nearly as often or be as dedicated. But i know what you mean.
There might be some decent time waster stuff but will be overall crap.

[frostypants]

The correct statement by them would be "mobile is where the largest margins are...for the time being". It won't always be this way. The market will get flooded, the uber-casuals will get tired of the repetitive gameplay styles from these little games, and these forces will drive up dev prices soon enough.

[Two-Face]

I respect their decision.

[Joe913]

I said this in another article but I think this is because of the gamers of today now a days we are so quick to boycott a game for having micro transactions or not having online. And buying games used is another cause but I think devs can drop the price of games they actually may sell more copies thus making more money but that is a big risk for these companies but if you think about it people would be more willing to risk money on a game.

[Dario_DC]

Gamers should boycott all that bring those kind of practices to 70€ games! This isn't mobile!
If they wanna mess around with 150€ of DLC and hundreds more in microtransactions at least make the effin game free!!!
Don't compare mobile free games with full on 70€ games! It's not the same! DLC can be well done and accepted, just look at Witcher 3 for example, but microtransactions and crap DLC needs to be stopped.

[comebackkid9891]

PC gaming normalized F2P and microtransactions, don't pin this on consoles.

[Joe913]

Didn't I say they should drop the price of games so gamers are more willing to shovel out the money it seems like they would lose money but if you sell twice the amount of games then you will end up making more money did you only read half my comment see people like you are the reason everything is messed up. Sometimes devs go to far but a lot of times gamers are being nit picky. I am not comparing AAA games to mobile games like that I am saying when it comes down to how much a company make off mobile games to AAA games especially if you consider how much money goes into each type of game then it makes sense they go the mobile route. The biggest misconception gamers have is they act like these companies make games to make them happy nope it is to make money. And boycotting is not all that bad some good things come out of it but some gamers take it to far. And this is the reason why Kojima got fired or whatever is happening and other big companies are focusing on mobile less money to develop and make more money off of it lol as a business model it is perfect. So say what you want but these companies are making less money because of gamers like you so they are going to stop making AAA games or down size the amount of AAA games they make can't just blame the company we are all at fault it is a revolving door we don't buy or buy used so they stop making it is as simple as that.

@comebackkid9891 That is true but I think the used games market is what caused that to spill over into $60 console games cause just seeing that model the whole MT thing should not work unless the game is free to play. DLC was created so people would not be so quick to trade their games in then they had it where if you bought a used game and it had online you had to buy a online pass but I think MT took the place of the online pass.

[Dario_DC]

Me, as a consumer, have every single right to nitpick, it's my money, I buy what I think it's the best value for me and I don't support none of these practices.
How many incomplete games we've had so far? These developers cut out parts of the game to make day one DLC and so on.
How about they start cutting on the millions they spend on advertising? There are games out there with a bigger budget on advertising than on development!
Besides this isn't some company trying to make good games... This is Konami looking to spend as little as possible with these crappy little games and make as much profit as they can out of it. There's no good will here, they don't care about gaming or gamers at all.

[Joe913]

@Dario_DC How about you read my whole comment before responding. If it is to long then do not bother. I am in no way saying people shouldn't nitpick I even went as far as to say it helped in a few situations I am not arguing with you about what is right or wrong that is not my point read the article hell read the title. What I am saying is I can see how they are coming to that conclusion to where they are going to focus on mobile games. Do I like it no I do not MGS is my most favorite game in the world MGS 1 is the reason I still play games right now so it sucks that they are going this route but I can see why and they are not the only company doing this.
As far as Konami not caring about gamers lol they are not supposed to their main interest is making money they are going to do anything to accomplish that goal not to say that all companies do the same a lot do take what the public say and try to do better but when it comes down to it they are a business and they are going to do what makes money not what makes you or me happy I am a adult and I realize this does it suck yeah but all you can do is support the devs and the company that seem like they care I hated MS because I did not feel like they actually cared about the gamers until Spencer took over. So I get what you are saying but I think we are trying to make different points like you are arguing with me about something I am not saying like in no way am I saying this is okay I really do not see mobile games in the same category as console or pc games. I am just saying that if the whole used games market did not get so big would so many devs be still going to mobile. I think they would dabble in it but still support the hard core because they would still be making money there. But now you see them not even trying because there is no return in investment why spend IDK 50 mil to make a game when you are going to lose half of what you would have made to the used game market.

[Pastorfuzz]

I hope they at least let Silent Hill and MGS go to another developer/publisher. If they did that, it would be fine with me.

[Blackleg-sanji]

Fuuuuuuu u konami all I ever wanted was just another freaking suikoden! I'm not really a mgs fan(weird right?) But suikoden away man brings me back at least give me a he collection before u bow out damn

[eldingo]

wrong if you have passion and care for what your working on it is always worth the effort you put in.

[Snookies12]

Exactly, they don't want to put effort into it anymore. They just want that cash piling up.

[Antifan]

Then sell the MGS IP to someone who wants to do traditional games!!

[Captain_Wormy]

I don't give a rat's ass where Konami goes. All I'm worried about is Kojima and the MGO servers.

[Rooted_Dust]

Capitalism is all well and good, but I always thought that companies that make games should at least be partially driven by the desire to make great games.

We have no right to ask it of them, but it would be awesome if they would release their IP's so more interested parties can keep them alive.

[kraenk12]

Alright Konami. Gonna pirate MGS Phantom Pain and thanks for reminding me to not give you any money anymore.

[comebackkid9891]

yup

[ion666]

I wish I knew how to pirate games but for me I giving my money up for Kojima and his team. after that konami can go suck gasoline and light there brownie hole on fire.

[Ace Killa 08]

Then sell the IPs off and go in whatever direction you want.

Mobile games is not the way to go, yeah the market is expanding, yeah it's blah blah blah and blah. I don't care, if I want a good story or play multiplayer I'd choose to play on a console/pc on a big screen with a good controllr/keyboard/mouse on hand. No I don't want to stream no I don't want to buy an android tablet or iPad for gaming. A console can do that just fine.

Seriously if they don't care about their current games then sell them, quit holding on to them and give them a dev/publisher that will work their asses off.

[PaleMoonDeath]

Hm.. the new boss must be a 16 year old kid who doesn't know how he would function in life without his IPhone.

Konami is a very weird company right now, sell off Metal Gear to respectable developers or better yet, Hideo Kojima himself, but that'll never happen.. they will cash cow the hell out of that once proud IP.

[cfc83]

They know more about jap gaming market than people on here do. If they want to focus on that, that's their right.

[G3n3raL86]

From hero to zero. Shameful statement from a giant company...

[mike32UK]

This just shows that the heads of the company have ZERO interest in video games at all and the only thing they have on their mind is money. Yes, they are a business but a love for your product is a must if you wish to be respected by your customers.

[lunatic0001]

Remember we are not their target as customers anymore ...its the mobile market that they want...this konami can care less about the respect traditional gamers give them anymore

[frostypants]

They "can't" care less.

[Elda]

Konami only had 3 or 4 decent ip's,Castlevania hasn't been on par in several years & they just can't seem to get new talent & sell tons of games.Their budget must be low so instead of folding I guess they decided to do just mobile games which suck....r.i.p....Konami.

[mastershredder]

Konomi is no longer worth the effort. Hope you guys liked my money while it lasted. Way to burn your bridges!

[GameSpawn]

They didn't burn them...they nuked them from orbit and pissed on the ashes.

[fitfox]

yup its time for konami to go away now.

[ooquis]

Ok i'm a glass half full kind of guy...and i respect anyone who disagree with me on this but us the gamer's are full of shait now days? The hole The Order 1866 debacle or example. Developers are at a point where they are not gonna try new stuff, they are afraid........ That's way call of duty is still the same call of duty. I think we as gamer's must shut up when it comes to certain things.....Lets give developers freedom to do what they want to do without us the gamer's taking them apart online. There is so much effort going into these games...so many long nights that those people could have been with their families then us the gamer think we can just come online and give our opinion on on others person hard work. NOT COOL. And again i refer to The Order 1866. My mom always said....if you can't say anything nice about someone then shut your FAcking mouth!!!!

[nitus10]

I don't have a PS4 yet and prefer to play Action/Adventure and/or RPG's, however what I have read on the game "The Order" it is in the A/A category and is only about 7 to 10 hours long which is the norm for A/A games although from my personal point of view it is far too short since I prefer games that take many 10's of hours to play.

Is The Order a good game? Personally I don't know since I have not played it and from what I can gather it is a good game but, if you are an RPG fan like me it is too short but then again many people don't like RPG games probably because they think they are too long. Hmm, how long is a piece of string?

I did read some of the reviews on the game and IMHO many of the so called critics unjustly put down the game on it's perceived shortness and not having an on-line component (IMHO, Sigh! idiots), when it was advertised as a single player game.

[ooquis]

I finished the game a week ago. And to be fair.... the last of us has ruined every other 3rd person game for me because there is nothing out there that even comes close to actual game play. The way the cover system works with the movement of the characters in TLOU is just mind blowing beyond anything i have ever played. So yes it's easy to give my opinion on what i would have liked to be different in the order but what it offered i also enjoyed. So it would be unfair comparing it with TLOU. If you haven't played TLOU yet you are in for a treat. It would be like me saying i want every other 3rd person game to be like TLOU and thatss exactly what i don't like to do. I'm doing modeling on my spare time as a hobby so in a weird way i understand the amount of work and time going into something complex as a game. So i hate it when i c a people who has no clue what the process is going on how the game should have been this or that in his opinion like.

[Nodoze]

Cannot wait until they come crawling back hoping for us to give them another shot.

Don't let the door hit you in the a$$ on the way out. Mobile will be your undoing. I have never and will never purchase a mobile game. They all suck.

[Der_Kommandant]

Hope you die in mobile hell Konami.

[ion666]

Sell your I.P.'s and go fuck yourself Konami.

[Nodoze]

up up down down left right left right FU!!!

[Ocsta]

Well then Konami, thanks for the memories. Don't let the doorknob hit ya where the dog shoulda bit ya.

[Relientk77]

Wow Konami is so stupid

[Gilgamesh15]

The day traditional gaming goes away I will quit the hobby all together. Hell, it would give me more time to paint and draw.

[akaFullMetal]

If Konami can do both, consoles games and mobile, I don't care then. However, the way Konami is talking, it seems they will go full on mobile most likely, which will get them lots of money maybe but lose their console customers. We also know mobile games don't tend to work as well as a good controller on a pc/console.
Good luck Konami, but if you go 100% mobile, then see ya.

[IIZANGETSUII]

Oh man, so this is the last "true" Metal Gear, so sad fuck you Konami

[Direwolf484]

What will they think of next? The spiral of Konami's downfall continues.

[Ristul]

It will be fun when mobile gaming gets saturated with shitty games, I wonder if Konami will come crawling back of just drop out of gaming completely. Time will tell...

[dawnkeebals]

What I'm trying to decipher is what the **** is going through minds of Japanese gamers? They're willfully playing games that look 15 to 25 years old on 4 to 10 inch screens. 4 to 10 inch screens when there are televisions out there 60 plus inches. I've heard "well we don't have as much time to set at a console as other countries", but they didn't gripe about the time when the focus was on consoles. What else can these tablets be called besides gimmickry? Corporate gimmickry, and they're buying into it by the millions. So fans of Japanese console games are pretty much screwed. Screwed while the Japanese are playing simpleton point n' pecker games on tablets. This is the beginning of a mass extinction of good, deep, Japanese games. RIP Japanese console gaming.

[Lionalliance]

Suddenly Konami became all around stupid!

[curtis92]

What Nintendo learned and what MS learned (with Kinect) is that the "general public" attention you seek... though you may get it for a bit, they'll go elsewhere soon as the next 'thing' hits. They'll leave you behind and all that will be left are those of us who have been here ALL along and you'll come crying back to us, saying how important core gaming is to you. You're burning a bridge Konami.

[ZombieGamerMan]

Some one please sue Konami or something, this company needs to be shut down, their IP's bought by less stupid companies. Seriously we need to call social services on Konami for parental abuse & neglect of their games

[PurpHerbison]

Fuck you Konami!

[Jayszen]

A company that pisses on personnel and the business model that made it successful will not last for long. Konami has made a fateful decision and I for one hope it gets the consequence it deserves. Hideo Kojima was and is a master and he is better off without Konami!

[FPS_D3TH]

You're sitting on a f***ing goldmine with MGS5 and Silent Hills. Honestly, Im starting to believe that Kojimas small team did see the signs when making P.T. and that boring old dad comment at the end of the teaser really does sound like a dig at Konami. I don't doubt they'll be back to make great games. You smell like ass Konami. Go take a long hot shower and think about what you've done...

[jmc8888]

Okay I'll sift through the corporate BS and tell you what they are really saying.

1. We don't want to spend money making newer games
2. We find the profit margins on mobile greater
3. We can make these mobile games for a fraction of the cost
4. We can use all our old tech and don't need to upgrade anything
5. It's OUR future, and we hope you all lose interest in full fledged games utilizing newer specs since we want to make bank creating 10=15 year old type crap, but with 1/10th the content and behind all sorts of microtransactions. It's not the future of gaming. The future is never the past, along with all sorts of anti-consumer features that consumers never had in the past. But that's what these 1990's games, with 1/10th the content, and microtransactions are... all on tiny screen of 2-6 inches, which is crap compared to console/pc's using HDTV/UHDTV/monitors.

It seems like Konami has some really good people that create some quality stuff, and a bunch of morons who get in the way.

Case in point...Konami ID's and crap. This cost them players and money. Don't remember your code? Whoops.

Wanted to buy some DLC for MGSIV, couldn't because I couldn't remember my OTHER code.

Thus Konami, the bad part, is trying to kill the golden goose by going mobile. The problem is... everyone is going mobile, and you can fail spectacularly. Zynga anyone?

They think they will have an easier time making money. No, you will cut costs by freezing and/or downgrading your tech. The problem is though, you'll have 1000x the competitors, with an audience who is far more fickle then your average gamer.

The casuals can make you money, for as long as you can keep their attention, if you can get it in the first place.

They are taking a HUGE risk. Higher highs and lower lows. Mobile is boom or bust.