Konami won’t make any more console games, not even Metal Gear

Konami has had a rough year, in terms of both finances and reputation. Not only is the Japanese video game company struggling to make money, some reports from earlier this year have highlighted just how crappy of a company it actually is, which is what led to the cancellation of beloved and long-running series like Silent Hills. That was just the beginning of the cancellations, however, as not only will the company no longer be releasing any more Metal Gear games, it plans to cease conduction of all AAA console and PC games aside from Pro Evolution Soccer.

Konami has ceased all triple-A console game production on everything but Pro Evolution Soccer and there are currently no plans for a big new Metal Gear game, while worldwide technology director Julien Merceron has left the company. That’s according to a pair of reports on French site Gameblog. Eurogamer understands both reports to be true. Gameblog wrote yesterday that Merceron was apparently unhappy with Konami’s transition away from the console market towards mobile games. Beyond Metal Gear Online – the separate online component to Metal Gear Solid 5 that is currently being finished – and Pro Evolution Soccer 2016, Konami has a blank triple-A slate. It does however have the licence to the football tournament Euro 2016, so we’d expect it to make use of that. Problems at Konami were highlighted earlier in the year when Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima left the company and his Kojima Productions studio was dissolved. He had reportedly fallen out with Konami’s big bosses who refused to bankroll his long and lavish productions any longer. Metal Gear Solid 5 reportedly cost $80m to make. Any new Metal Gear Solid game Konami produces will presumably be made without Kojima involved.