Konami Apologizes to fans for Confusion, Promises Console Support

Konami has reached out to fans through Polygon to apologize for causing anxiety &  promise continued support for consoles & PC

If your a fan of Konami games or follow the gaming world closely then you’ve seen the storm  of controversy surrounding the famous developer. Starting off with the alleged firing of Hideo Kojima the mastermind behind the Metal Gear Solid Series, followed by the cancelling of the much anticipated Silent Hills title. If that wasn’t enough the companies newly appointed president has suggested that they switch their focus solely to the mobile market. Overall it has been a roller coaster ride for Konami and its fans that the company is trying to clear up.

Today they reached out to Polygon with a letter apologizing  to fans, that tries to explain what has really been going on at Konami and why they shouldn’t worry. In the letter they are quick to apologize for the confusion that all the recent changes the company has made caused. Saying “We are aware that the conjecture surrounding our recent changes has prompted a great deal of anxiety, for which we apologize,” Going onto say that quotes from a recent interview  “lacked the necessary context and caused unrest within our key stakeholders including our community, members of the press, our partners and our fans”

Throughout the rest of the letter that Konami translated for Polygon to post on their site tried to give fans the truth behind everything that has been happening. Stressing that when president Hideki Hayakawa said they would begin focusing on “mobile first” he did not mean leaving consoles and PC behind. Instead he was trying to explain the companies desire to react to swift changes in the market quickly by branching out to mobile devices. Specifically they want to move away from just making games to making add on content that stretches across every device we use.

After touching on the “mobile first” controversy Konami touched on an even bigger hot button issue, what happened with Silent Hills and Kojima. Saying that in March they introduced a new centralized production division system designed to make a clear distinction between management and creative roles.

Explaining that “Until now, in addition to game development duties, our creators were handling a wide range of responsibilities including managerial roles. This can be a helpful approach when a studio concentrates on progressively specializing in a specific style of product, but we have found that a sudden market shift can render that specialization invalid and leave the studio unable to keep up.”

Suggesting that they had tried to remove Kojima from the Metal Gear Solid creative team and place him in a strictly managerial position. An idea that likely didn’t sit well with Kojima who has said he left Konami behind by choice. Company president  Hayakawa was quick to say that even with these changes they are still dedicated to the Silent Hills and Metal Gear Solid franchises. If that and anything else the company said in the letter to Polygon are true is still up in the air.

Source: Polygon