There are thousands of mobile games released every year that make no money, and hundreds of companies that die.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Konami's new CEO: Mobile is the future of gaming, is Konami's main platform
- Thread starter HGH
- Start date
There are thousands of mobile games released every year that make no money, and hundreds of companies that die.
Sony and Microsoft still exist. As far as gaming goes, they've largely focused on development for their devices (and PC as applicable) almost exclusively.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
UpDownLeftRight
Banned
I'm actively beginning to hate Konami to whole new levels. I actually have managed to develop a very personally dislike for this entire company which is a whole new experience for me. So MGS Mobile is next right? Clearly that's their intentions. I REALLY don't want to miss out on MGSV but damn Konami you are doing everything within your power to prevent me buying it.
These bunch of pricks are firing people left right and center because of a power trip. They've left employees in awkward positions with the intention of forcing resignation if the rumors are to be believed (why wouldn't we at this point?). I wish them no luck. I hope what's left of their business crumbles as Nintendo enters the same market with a better value proposition and a lot more brand recognition.
These bunch of pricks are firing people left right and center because of a power trip. They've left employees in awkward positions with the intention of forcing resignation if the rumors are to be believed (why wouldn't we at this point?). I wish them no luck. I hope what's left of their business crumbles as Nintendo enters the same market with a better value proposition and a lot more brand recognition.
TheSlySoul
Member
So far the main one is platformers. I have yet found one that can work.
RPGs surprisingly work really well.
Well to some people dying in Japan = dying in general. In the west game development is still going strong. However, expect most games to be open world and full of IAPs.
I don't get why people say video games is dying , PS4 sold like 22 million we still get plenty of new games each year .
Konami is a Japanese company and in Japan mobile gaming is the way to go it seems so they are adjusting.
And most of the big Japanese devs we loved in the 80s/90s are gone now or will be gone in a few years, I'm pretty sure new one will rise , it's like a cycle .
Konami is a Japanese company and in Japan mobile gaming is the way to go it seems so they are adjusting.
And most of the big Japanese devs we loved in the 80s/90s are gone now or will be gone in a few years, I'm pretty sure new one will rise , it's like a cycle .
Besides MGS? Castlevania though... the franchise is one of the best ever, it just needs to be in the right hands. The rest is just trash and can be forgotten..
Man-is-Obsolete
Member
The problem with mobile is that it is harder platform to crack a hit. That market is very fickle and care more about what everyone else is playing than a brand. Look at the biggest mobile games, they are all new IPs that struck a chord with people. Even Crossy Road out Froggers Konami. That's not to say the console game business is any less risky, but I do think putting such a large focus on a very fickle, though growing, market is much more risky. Also these big companies entering the mobile market are only going to cause the mobile market to become even more saturated and crowded. If Square Enix is anything to go by with their 40+ F2P titles in the next year, it seems these big companies' solution to the fickle nature of the mobile market is to release a ton of inexpensive to produce games and hope one or a few of them goes on to make a large amount of money on a daily basis. So it will be interesting to see what effect that has on the mobile market.
With the publicity PT received Silent Hills seemed like the safest bet in gaming to me, much safer than the mobile market.
With the publicity PT received Silent Hills seemed like the safest bet in gaming to me, much safer than the mobile market.
BaraSailey
Member
I'm not even surprised, but I'm still depressed. MGR2 probably won't happen now either, along with Silent Hills. So many dreams crushed; goddammit Konami :/
I'm sure many publishers will focus more on mobile gaming, but I doubt they go only-mobile route like Konami seems to be doing. Square will still put Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Eidos games etc. to consoles and handhelds, and so will Capcom with Monster Hunter, Resident Evil etc.
Eidos being in North America is irrelevant, they're still under the huge Japanese Publisher umbrella that is Square-Enix. They're paid for and made by Square-Enix, so they're Japanese AAA games.
You can also add Just Cause 3 to that list. I'm sorry for always forgetting you, Just Cause 3.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
AyaisMUsikWhore
Member
Welp, Konami has officially moved on. It is what it is...Good luck to them
I like your attitude. Even if Konami will completely stop its console games output there will be another company taking its spot.
The next couple of years is going to be interesting to watch. The AAA market is going to look more and more like a desert. Is there even more than 20 high profile games that will be released this year on home consoles? With Nintendo approaching mobile gaming next year, the shift is going to be even more pronounced.
RPGs are indeed great for mobile, as are tactics games like X-Com. I've also found platformer a surprisingly tricky; there seems to be a problem with not having dedicated controls that make it way too sensitive or fidgety.
Try playing Max Payne or GTA 3 on mobile without a controller input though, and prepare to hate your life.
The_Darkest_Red
Member
It's times like these when my deep love for companies like Atlus and FromSoft grows even stronger. Forsaking the easy path to money in the name of creativity and truly great game design... they are a rare breed these days.
Maroon Gamer
Member
Fuck off konami!
Chezzymann
Member
Why is it stupid? Its the truth. Children this generation are being raised on mobile games, not dedicated consoles. Sure, the PS4 is selling well but this generation will be lucky to sell as much as the PS2/Xbox/GameCube gen considering the PS4 wont get near the PS2's sucess and the Wii U will probably just sell half of the gamecube. Thats a huge contraction from the 360/PS3/Wii gen and it probably isnt a coincidence that it coincides with the booming sucess of mobile gaming.
Can we be honest? Konami has made a lot of poor decisions and didn't have much talent left outside of Kojima. I think the final failure of Silent Hill and Castlevania is what drove them to allow Kojima to do whatever he wanted for a short period of time. Almost all of their outsourcing ventures have failed.
I'm actually happy that they cut Kojima loose, because he obviously had no intention of leaving on his own. Most of the MGS5 team is outside help, and that can't be cheap. The business people over at Konami must have agreed that the risk is too high for Silent Hills or Zone of the Enders 3. Kojima was clearly ready to pick up the torch and take on all the Konami franchises, but something tells me the budget was not realistic. Maybe Kojima Productions could have supported themselves, maybe not. They could have been the next Game Freak IMO.
Mobile is a way to make a profit. Real creators will continue to want to make great games, they will find an outlet for that. That's why Nintendo, Square Enix and Capcom have been able to buckle down and keep it together, because they still have great minds on their staff.
In a way, Konami is making a solid decision for their company. I really feel they just don't have the talent left to compete in the core gaming market. Best we can hope for is Sony or Nintendo wanting a vanity title. And for Kojima to find an outlet for his talents. I think the saddest part is that fans will now have to pick up the torch and preserve Konami's best works. I don't think we will be getting any more rereleases. Maybe we can get lucky and a small team will be allowed to port some titles to PC, similar to what SNK does.
I'm actually happy that they cut Kojima loose, because he obviously had no intention of leaving on his own. Most of the MGS5 team is outside help, and that can't be cheap. The business people over at Konami must have agreed that the risk is too high for Silent Hills or Zone of the Enders 3. Kojima was clearly ready to pick up the torch and take on all the Konami franchises, but something tells me the budget was not realistic. Maybe Kojima Productions could have supported themselves, maybe not. They could have been the next Game Freak IMO.
Mobile is a way to make a profit. Real creators will continue to want to make great games, they will find an outlet for that. That's why Nintendo, Square Enix and Capcom have been able to buckle down and keep it together, because they still have great minds on their staff.
In a way, Konami is making a solid decision for their company. I really feel they just don't have the talent left to compete in the core gaming market. Best we can hope for is Sony or Nintendo wanting a vanity title. And for Kojima to find an outlet for his talents. I think the saddest part is that fans will now have to pick up the torch and preserve Konami's best works. I don't think we will be getting any more rereleases. Maybe we can get lucky and a small team will be allowed to port some titles to PC, similar to what SNK does.
Interfectum
Member
It's not popping until we have devices that replace the mobile phone. So they'll be fine for many years.
So sad to read the OP. I hope others dont follow that line of thinking. Nintendo....looking at you....
Why not just sell, lisence the IP to others to continue making console games, get royalties off of it? Is that even possible? Is the Metal Gear name attached to some mobile game really gonna help it rake in dough?
This saddens me....and sometimes I wish I didnt know the lil details about the gaming industry like this.
Why not just sell, lisence the IP to others to continue making console games, get royalties off of it? Is that even possible? Is the Metal Gear name attached to some mobile game really gonna help it rake in dough?
This saddens me....and sometimes I wish I didnt know the lil details about the gaming industry like this.
Yeah, I love Castlevania and I actually liked the Lords of Shadow franchise. That is maybe the only franchise that I'll miss, but I have a feeling that Konami will keep using that IP, and also maybe the Hudson IPs on mobile...
That's a good analogy.
It's not the transition to mobile that upsets me. With how everyone has gone over the years and what Konami have been successful with over the years - pachinko, gambling, slot machines - it's been a done deal for ages. There's no love for making games as an entertainment medium or for art; they're just directly targeting your cold, hard cash, with as minimum effort as humanly possible.
I've lost interest in this worthless company now. I just want an actual, official, 100% in stone statement saying they are not making console games ever again so I can stop even talking about them anymore.
I've lost interest in this worthless company now. I just want an actual, official, 100% in stone statement saying they are not making console games ever again so I can stop even talking about them anymore.
Yea it makes sense looking at it like that but still....damn....
AusRoachman
Member
Just as well they are focussing on mobile because they have royally screwed their name in the console space. Will be picking up msg 5 after a price drop after all this crap, not lining konamis pockets after this.
I look forward to a few years when they try to get back into the console space and everyone ignores them.
I look forward to a few years when they try to get back into the console space and everyone ignores them.
I wish Konami would just sell off its good IP to an actual developer who wants to make videogames, but they are just gonna sit on them forever or turn them into pachinko and mobile games. *sigh*
Perfect video for this situation: Save The Franchises
Perfect video for this situation: Save The Franchises
Yea many of yall called this. It still sucks. Pissed at them for Silent Hills and whats going on with Kojima...even more pissed at them for doing this.
Oh it'll pop trust me, just wait until the smartphone market saturates, they'll become so common that no one will use them until they are forced to.
We are still in the "omg new generation of smartphone! so shiny and so nice new features!!!!" phase, when it'll stagnate it'll be all over.
LordBaztion
Member
This makes Capcom admirable, they still make console games
Not sure if you are being sarcastic....
But don't get me wrong I don't like this either I grew up with Capcom, Konami and Square games and they were making really good games .
And I don't like Mobile games btw
But freaking out and saying video games are dying is a little far fetched I think .
INFINITY TR1GG3R
Neo Member
Hmmm... I wonder with all this happening at Konami, what, if anything, will it do to the collectors value of the MGSV Half Hand Edition? It seems relatively limited (sold out in the UK already) so could it jump up in value as a collectors item given it could well be Konami's last major release?
TheSlySoul
Member
It is funny people still think it is a bubble and it has been 5 years so far.
Even if it does "pop", internet came back from it and has replaced TV for many people.
As the internet has not killed TV yet, mobile will not kill traditional gaming as well.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
MGSV is gonna be a HELL of a swan song
Fedora Royale
Member
RIP Konami
I'm not sarcastic. I don't really think KONAMI will quit console games, but even if this happens some other company will take their spot.
Yeah, but Sony and Microsoft can't nostalgia bomb me.
Contra, Gradius, Life Force Salamander, Twinbee, Parodius, Axelay...
rip shmups
Baron_Calamity
Member
Reminds me of the late 1990s when everyone rushed to get on the internet as if it was an endless pot of gold. This is not going to end well.