Legendary Japanese publisher Konami, creator of games such as Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania, and Contra, appears to be closing its doors to the video game world. There have not been any new installments of the company's flagship games since Metal Gear Survive was released in February 2018. That game was not only considered a commercial failure, to the point Konami did not mention it in its 2018 earnings report, it was also largely panned by critics. There have been no discussions of any future Metal Gear installments since.
As for Silent Hill, the last game in that series was released almost a decade ago with Silent Hill: Downpour. That game was released back in 2012 to mixed critical and commercial success. Since then, there have been rumors of another installment coming, bolstered by the viral playable teaser P.T. that came to PlayStation 4 in 2014. Since then, however, the planned Silent Hill follow up was canceled, and P.T. was left as a haunting tease of what could have been. A new organizational move might provide some insight into Konami's strategy with both Metal Gear and Silent Hill.
A Konami news release from last week seemed innocuous enough. It included the naming of Shoji Dewa as new Senior Executive Officer, Koji Kobayashi as new Executive Officer, and Tatsuhiko Yamamoto as new Corporate Officer. However, along with other personnel changes, the release also noted Konami would be dissolving Production Divisions 1, 2, and 3 "to respond to the rapid market that surrounds us."
This seems to indicate Konami is pulling resources from its video game development and production. However, reporter Ryan Brown points out Konami's Production Departments are still remaining, so this may be an organizational restructuring, rather than full-on destruction of Konami's video game departments. In the last few years, Konami appears to have shifted its focus more towards re-releases of existing IP to PC and Mobile. For instance, the release of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night to the iOS store last year was a critical and commercial success, selling over 700,000 units worldwide.
Whether this means the end of Konami's place in game production or simple organizational restructuring, it does not appear fans of series like Silent Hill or Metal Gear should be holding their breath for a new installment any time soon. The company's priorities appear to be shifting away from these new, console-based installments in their legacy series. Time will tell if Konami will return to the games most players associate with their brand, or if that IP will be sold off to new developers who can try their hand at a fresh take on these beloved games.
Source: Konami, Ryan Brown