Konami and its fans have been on a roller coaster ride for the last several months with major changes coming to the company that caught everyone by surprise. First was the departure of Metal Gear Solid series creator Hideo Kojima that spawned massive controversy over whether he was fired or quit. Then the companies new president announced they would begin focusing on “mobile first” causing fear that Konami’s console days were over. This idea was strengthened by the cancelling of Silent Hills.
Now finally Konami has reached out to fans through Polygon in a letter that apologizes for any anxiety they caused and promises future console support. In the letter they lay out the reasons for the sudden changes that rocked the company saying they went through a major restructuring process to help to stay ahead in the swift changing market.
They were quick to point however that Kojima and his team are still hard at work on Metal Gear Solid 5 in the new product division system. This suggests that he hasn’t left the company after all but was moved to a new position. They was also urged that they had no plans on giving up consoles to focus solely on mobile devices. Clarifying statements by newly appointed president Hideki Hayakawa about “mobile first” saying that he meant Konami would be taking advantage of mobile devices to enhance gamers experience.
They finished out the letter to Polygon by saying that despite canceling Silent Hills they are still committed to developing new titles in the franchise. Saying that “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.”
Only time will tell how commited they are to those series and to the console market.
