No, they really didn't spend 500mil on Destiny. Kotick may have said that but he runs his mouth quite often, but Bungee themselves said it was nowhere near that cost.
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New Nikkei articles shares some information about the situation at Konami
- Thread starter Blablurn
- Start date
No, they really didn't spend 500mil on Destiny. Kotick may have said that but he runs his mouth quite often, but Bungee themselves said it was nowhere near that cost.
UnblessedSoul
Member
I assume that budget includes Kojima making Konami the new engine as well.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
"CP, I spotted a suspicious individual, checking it out now."
Seriously tho those working conditions sound absolutely abysmal. I;m curious about what the marketing budget is if development alone cost 80 million.
Regret Upon Approval
Member
Bets on the final cost?
I'm rolling 100 million, 10 percent of it marketing.
I don't think Konami is going to put much effort into marketing. Just want it done and out the door.
I'm rolling 100 million, 10 percent of it marketing.
I don't think Konami is going to put much effort into marketing. Just want it done and out the door.
In the end, I think Kojima got the better deal out of two. The way Konami treats its employees seems to be awful, but if you assume the rumors are true and (example) Kojima would spend money on songs he'd never use... he basically had a blank slate and used all the money he could. For the consumer, this is great. We will get a game like the director intended for. But I don't think this is a viable development process for most companies. But again, Kojima has to leave Konami now. That news used to shock me, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that is actually pretty good for him.
Meanwhile, Konami has to pick up the pieces and hope MGSV will make a profit. I think it will, even despite this budget... but they probably wanted more. In a way, I don't feel too sorry for them because they did a lot of fuckups in recent months... but I think it's obvious Kojima will get out of this a ton better than Konami ever will.
AndyMoogle
Member
MGSV is on 5 platforms. It's not like they won't get their money back and then some.
nckillthegrimace
Member
Forcing employees to clean up health clubs because they're "useless" has to be the fucking nadir of video game management. It's ridiculous that the "IGA is a janitor" GAF meme might contain a kernal of truth.
SirUltimos
Member
That's the impression that I'm getting as well.
I'd really love to know the politics behind the Fox Engine. Was this originally planned to be an engine used by the entire company, but the company changed focus before it was finished and no longer has use for it, or was it something Kojima pushed hard for, even though the company knew they wouldn't be getting much use out of it?
Nightengale
Member
Kojima will get out just fine. But will KojiPro?
Making the most money is priority not get the money back and them some.It was clearly best for everbody involved.
Isn't GZ a thing to somewhat mitigate the costs of TPP as is? It seems really questionable to me that a delay would cause him going out the door.
Crimsonclaw111
Member
Maybe they'll make another Treasure type studio.
I wouldn't be surprised if they all left en masse to where Kojima goes.
Nightengale
Member
An additional headcount of one is one thing.
An additional headcount of 200+ is another.
Hi again!
Popping in one more time to say that I've compiled all my tweets together on this page here so that you don't have to go sifting through my timeline as time goes on. It's a Japanese page because I blanked on putting it up on Storify, but obviously all my compiled tweets are still English.
Hope this helps so you don't have to go backwards through everything!
Popping in one more time to say that I've compiled all my tweets together on this page here so that you don't have to go sifting through my timeline as time goes on. It's a Japanese page because I blanked on putting it up on Storify, but obviously all my compiled tweets are still English.
Hope this helps so you don't have to go backwards through everything!
Screaming Meat
Unconfirmed Member
Yeah, I think it is, I'm just saying I doubt it made much of dent considering what they would need to recoup.
"huh? oh, it's just a box.... wait a minute"
So in a few years they'll be making nothing but cheap licensed tie-in games for Capcom?
Crimsonclaw111
Member
You always have to turn something pure into a ball of hate
At least before that they'll have a good run
TheBaronOfNA
Banned
Pretty much. No wonder why IGA started to just play Facebook games all day.
Palette Swap
Member
That's a good comparison point, when the producer of MGS4 states that it cost less than 5 billion Yen.
That means MGSV cost at least double what MGS4 did.
It's obviously not impossible to recoup but yeah, I can see how things could have gone sour, opportunity cost and all that.
Edit: given how the Yen-USD exchange rate has evolved, I don't think it's a very good idea to compare dollar conversion as that really skews the picture when discussing the costs of a company that mostly operates in Yen.
I was thinking the same thing - as far as complete disregard for their employees goes; they've become their own caricature.
the_batman
Banned
Sony should bring KojiPro under their wing.
You're right. I think they will be the real victims in the end.
If they continue with console games, they would probably use as many recycled assets as they possibly can.
thanks for doin' this, turns out i missed out on stuff in the timeline.. geez, it's even more ridiculous w/ the stuff i missed such as the second part to "Employees deemed useless have been known to do assemblyline work, security guard detail, cleanup at fitness clubs."
that is,
"These aren't nobodies being told to do this work either. Producers and other prominent creators have had this hoisted on them."
They'll sell twice that at least + they have Ground Zeroes monies + Fox Engine development is probably included in that. MGS4 was expensive as well. All things considered, $80 million doesn't sound so bad (relatively speaking).
Nightengale
Member
Google "banishment room"
Are we not expecting a mainline multiplat MGS game to sell more than that?
Ban Puncher
Member
I just did WTF.
http://japandailypress.com/japanese...nt-rooms-to-push-employees-to-resign-3029793/
This is awful.
That wasn't really a conference. That was Konami testing the waters of Performance Art.
They were good too. Shame they saw no profit in it.
Bob Dobalina
Member
So IGA demoted to a janitorial position during his final years at Konami now confirmed?
I mean, you say Konami approves the budget, but if you've sunk money into a new engine and game, and it needs more money, you're not going to sink that project. There's obviously going to be a hard limit in terms of budget versus sales prediction, but no one's happy when someone goes "this expensive thing needs more money or you won't make your money back"
Agent Unknown
Member
'Being delegated to security/cleanup.' Someone who works for a third party in Japan who I stay in touch with last year said "One guy who made all the classic music" at Konami was transferred to security. He says fortunately this guy "embraced" his role and ended up being head of security in that department and was able to make the best if it. But that is the exception because my source confirmed what the Nikkei article said in that, when you get moved to a non game related area that obviously means mgmt wants you out as it's hard to fire people due to HR quirks in Japan.
I privately asked him if he could identify exactly which composer it was, He couldn't confirm exactly who exactly it was but he knew it was true because it was info from a AAA director he works directly with who still has connections within KCEJ. He said this occurred during the "DraColle gold rush" (poker game) and since then "literally all of their old school devs are relegated to that division."
The reason this came up in conversation was because it was around the time Iga left last year and everyone was talking about how it was becoming apparent that Konami doesn't value their talent anymore.
Just think, a lot of the guys who worked on stuff like Gradius, Contra and Castlevania are now being forced to sit behind security desks and check the locks on the doors.
I privately asked him if he could identify exactly which composer it was, He couldn't confirm exactly who exactly it was but he knew it was true because it was info from a AAA director he works directly with who still has connections within KCEJ. He said this occurred during the "DraColle gold rush" (poker game) and since then "literally all of their old school devs are relegated to that division."
The reason this came up in conversation was because it was around the time Iga left last year and everyone was talking about how it was becoming apparent that Konami doesn't value their talent anymore.
Just think, a lot of the guys who worked on stuff like Gradius, Contra and Castlevania are now being forced to sit behind security desks and check the locks on the doors.
since you seem to be connected, i gotta ask if japanese work culture in general has this kinda structure to it? it feels like i've read a lot on how toxic it is to where konami's practices almost seem 'standard' but i'm curious how much of a deviation they really are from the norm in regards to that kinda shit
texhnolyze
Banned
This is such the worst working environment ever.
Is it really that hard to get a decent job in game development, with a resume like that none the less, in Japan, that someone would actually consider security an opportunity instead of punishment?
I remember reading an article on the rather normal working conditions at Good Feel, but they made it sound like a gift from God. That article makes a lot more sense now, having read all this.
If Konami really wants to focus on mobile, they probably can't wait for them to leave.