The recent news that Konami was undergoing restructuring efforts led many to jump to the conclusion that it was exiting games development entirely. That turned out to be completely false and Konami later clarified that said efforts were part of a plan to make game development more efficient. What’s more, new information pretty much confirms that, despite calls for Konami to sell its IPs, it has no reason to.
According to Konami‘s latest earnings release, while it did suffer a drop of 0.6% in revenue, the nine months ending on December 31 2020 saw a 33.1% growth in total revenue and 75.3% growth in profit, something Konami calls record-breaking. This is primarily thanks to its Digital Entertainment business, which includes console, mobile, and card games and is in direct contrast to many of its other businesses (like casino gaming and sports clubs) which have suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Konami specifically mentions the likes of mobile game Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links (which Konami has supported since it released in 2016) and Pro Evolution Soccer as particular major contributors. Even the Japan-exclusive Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa Mo Teiban!, the latest entry in the digital board game series, sold more than one and a half million units by December 31. As of January 2021, that number has increased to over two and a half million.
While Konami already has some new game projects in development, like Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel for the Nintendo Switch, many hope that the company’s comments on more efficient development and these strong earnings mean Konami will return to more regular console development. One of the main reasons why there are many who want other companies to acquire Konami’s IPs, primarily ones like Metal Gear, Silent Hill, and Castlevania, is because Konami itself isn’t really doing anything with them at the moment.
There have been very insistent rumors of a new Silent Hill in the works for the PlayStation 5 throughout 2020, but Konami has denied these rumors. There has also been debate about where Konami will make any new Metal Gear games, since series creator Hideo Kojima has long since left the company and Metal Gear Survive, the first game made after his departure, was a commercial failure and received a mixed reception from critics.
However, with Konami’s games division performing so strongly while its other businesses struggle, the company is hardly under any financial pressure. While some fans may be convinced that Konami’s IPs would prosper under a different company, Konami itself has no reason to give them away and would possibly only do so if it was in dire straits, something it’s clearly nowhere close to being.
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