Konami won't stop developing games, consolidating biz to be profitable

Konami has dissolved three production divisions in an attempt to consolidate gaming business, become more lean/reduce spending.

Published
Updated
1 minute & 49 seconds read time

Konami today announced it has dissolved three production teams in its digital entertainment gaming branch, but it's not closing down total game creation.

Konami won't stop developing games, consolidating biz to be profitable 234

Konami is a somewhat confusing company. Today's corporate announcement didn't do much to outline or clarify the company's future plans, but from what we can gather, Konami is consolidating its digital gaming branch into one leaner and more concise group. In theory, this is similar to how Square Enix combined 11 separate teams into four game dev divisions in 2019.

Konami won't stop developing games, consolidating biz to be profitable 44

So what does this mean?

Konami consolidated its businesses so it can focus more on gaming, which is the company's biggest strength. According to its most recent Group Report, the Konami Digital Entertainment segment made up 75% of its six-month earnings (88.3 billion yen).

Konami won't stop developing games, consolidating biz to be profitable 34

Why did Konami make this restructuring plan?

To put gaming at the center of what it does and help streamline development operations. The massive 2 million sales success of its Japan-only Momotaro Dentetsu also made a compelling argument to focus more on gaming.

COVID-19 has made Konami's other non-gaming segments very volatile. The arcade division and resorts divisions have diminishing earnings due to coronavirus quarantines. In Q2'21, amusement earnings were down nearly 27%, gaming machines (pachinko) earnings dropped by over 50%, and sports was also down by 51%.

This restructuring could lead to a stronger focus on dedicated games outside of mobile platforms. In 2015, Konami cut ties with Hideo Kojima and focused strongly on mobile, saying that "mobile gaming is the future." This new plan in no way invalidates Konami's mobile aspirations, but it's possible (and likely) Konami is shifting towards a more total gaming business and could revitalize classic franchises like Castlevania and Metal Gear Solid.

That being said, it's important to tamper expectations. Konami is unlikely to invest tens of millions of dollars into a big-budget MGS sequel as it weathers this uncertain market. It's more likely, if anything, we'll see remasters and outsourced titles from other development studios. That way Konami can collect royalties without having to front the bill for dev costs.

Buy at Amazon

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - PlayStation 4

TodayYesterday7 days ago30 days ago
$19.50$8.11$9.75
* Prices last scanned on 3/17/2024 at 9:53 pm CDT - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.
NEWS SOURCE:konami.com

Derek joined the TweakTown team in 2015 and has since reviewed and played 1000s of hours of new games. Derek is absorbed with the intersection of technology and gaming, and is always looking forward to new advancements. With over six years in games journalism under his belt, Derek aims to further engage the gaming sector while taking a peek under the tech that powers it. He hopes to one day explore the stars in No Man's Sky with the magic of VR.

Newsletter Subscription

Related Tags