Konami says it hasn’t given up on console games

Metal Gear Solid publisher Konami hasn’t given up on console games despite its recent success in the mobile space, its European president has said.

Despite releasing just a handful of console titles this generation in addition to its annual PES instalments, in 2019 Konami marked its fifth consecutive year of growth, partly due to the success of its mobile games.

Pro Evolution Soccer has been downloaded more than 200 million times on mobile as of this summer, while the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise is also one of Konami’s top performers.

European president Masami Saso told GI.biz that while the company has nothing to announce on the likes of Metal Gear or Silent Hill, it sees the console space as important and is currently working on unannounced projects based on “globally known” IP.

“Even with new platforms coming out, we believe high-end console games are the most important,” Saso said.

“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.”

He added: “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.”

Konami celebrated its 50^th anniversary earlier this year and its European president puts the firm’s longevity down to its ability to adapt to trends such as arcade, consoles and mobile.

“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,” he said.

“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.”