While video games appear to be fairly resilient to the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that hasn’t stopped some companies from taking a good and careful look at how they work – one of which is Japanese giant Konami, the company behind titles Like it Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, Pro Evolution Soccer and the current Japanese topper Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban!, which we spoke about recently.
Hardcore fans have long argued that Konami’s glory days are in the past, and it is certainly true that the company has released fewer AAA titles in recent years; it is heavily invested in health centers and also has pachinko and entertainment businesses, and these industries have been very successful recently (well, pre-COVID, anyway).
Taking this into account, it’s easy to see why the recent news of internal restructuring – recently announced to investors – has led to reports of Konami leaving the games industry (and not for the first time, it should be noted). In the initial announcement, Konami told investors it plans to dissolve its manufacturing divisions “to respond to the fast-paced market around us”.
However, a Konami spokesperson has now issued a statement to IGN clarifying these plans:
The announcement refers to an internal restructuring, whereby the production divisions will be consolidated. We have not ‘closed’ our video game division.
It should be noted that key executives from the three former production divisions have been assigned roles elsewhere in the company. Shoji Dewa (Manager of Production Division 2 and Executive Office) will be named senior executive officer, while Tatsuhiko Yamamoto (General Manager, Production Division 3 and Production Division 3) will now focus exclusively on the latter division.
These changes are expected to take place on February 1.