Konami, a company hated by the public and adored by shareholders - editorial

2015 is a special year for Konami. It is a particular year especially for Hideki Hayakawa, the new CEO of the digital segment, who in the space of twelve months seems to want to completely upset its assets and objectives. At the beginning of the year, the decision was made not to sell any more shares of the holding on the New York market. This might seem like insignificant news but in reality it tells us a lot about the atmosphere that reigns in the corridors of the Tokyo office.

Konami is a company of the old Japanese school, a patriarchal corporation strongly linked to the values ​​of the Rising Sun. However, things in that period are taking a different turn, and the time has come for the top management to get back on track. Thus, between April and May the future of the company is completely revolutionized; first of all Silent Hills, project presented through the trailer-game PT, is canceled without apparent logical explanation.

Then, a couple of weeks later, Hayakawa announces to the world that Konami has no intention of continuing. invest heavily in the AAA console video game market. "The future of gaming lies in mobile experiences," says Hayakawa. "We need to stop selling 'objects' and move our market towards 'features' by copying our most successful models."

The truth is that Hayakawa, like it or not, is absolutely right. The proceeds Konami makes from its mobile titles and the complex pachinko machine market largely cover all of the company's expenses. And all this happens at a negligible economic and human cost when compared to what it takes to set up any Metal Gear Solid, or to respond to the 'whims' of some author.