There was a time, not that long ago, when Konami was one of the premier Japanese publishers on the market. However, in the recent half decade or so, they have pivoted away from big scale projects, more into mobile and other non-gaming ventures. Outside a few re-releases here and there, the company’s legendary IPs such as Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and Castlevania have lain dormant for many years. That’s why when Konami announced they were dissolving teams within their gaming division, many assumed it was a sign that they had finally officially stopped any kind of game development. Well, they say it isn’t the case.
Konami published recent announcement to their investors, and in it stated they would be dissolving Production Divisions 1, 2, and 3 “to respond to the rapid market that surrounds us.” Generally, those divisions have been dedicated to game development, specifically for home consoles. Despite looking as if the company was essentially getting rid of the last remnants of its major game development division, the company made a statement to IGN stating simply this: “The announcement made refers to an internal restructure, with Production Divisions being consolidated. We have not ‘shut down’ our video gaming division.”
The company’s last major AAA title was Metal Gear Survive in 2017 (with the exception of the PES franchise), which was preceded by a public ousting of that series’ creator and long time Konami employee, Hideo Kojima. Since then, the company has insisted they are not done with “high-end” games, but nothing has come from it.