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Konami says it’s not done with console games, even if it is putting more emphasis on mobile platforms than ever before. The publisher sent out a full, professionally translated version of the eyebrow-raising interview that circulated earlier this month, apparently hoping to quell some concerns.
Snippets pulled from the fan-translated version made it sound like Konami was done with console games (opens in new tab), compounded with its semi-public breakup with Hideo Kojima (opens in new tab). But according to the full interview with Konami director and president Hideki Hayakawa, it’s more like making mobile the foundation of its gaming division – not its sole product.
“Recently we often hear the term ‘Mobile First,’ and I want to specify that Konami’s idea of Mobile First is not at all to focus purely on mobile games,” Hayakawa said. “Our aim is to continue to build up a comprehensive portfolio of console, arcade, and card game titles for each IP while also making the best possible use of the mobile devices that accompany our customers in their daily life, thus expanding the limits of entertainment and appealing to more and more customers.”
He also said he wants to have more mobile games “locally produced for the local market,” starting with using Konami’s international studios to localize Japanese games, and eventually empowering them to create their own.
“I believe that the overall game market will continue to grow, with mobile devices as a driving force,” Hayakawa said. “I believe that individual IPs will be made available across various devices, and so eventually it will become meaningless to categorize the market. The role of the mobile platform will be to connect people with their games across various devices, and so the methods and presentation employed in distributing information on mobile devices will be critical.”
Better distributing information sounds pretty good, especially after the quiet, confusing death of P.T. (opens in new tab)
