Konami is reportedly shutting down much of its AAA console-game development for the foreseeable future, according to a report on French site Gameblog. The only two franchises on Konami’s AAA menu are Metal Gear Online and Pro Evolution Soccer 2016. Otherwise, there are no plans to develop additional Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania or other familiar AAA games at Konami, the site says. This report comes following the news that Konami Worldwide Technical Director and head of the studio’s Fox Engine, Julien Merceron, has left the company ,due to his dissatisfaction with Konami’s decision to focus primarily on the mobile market . Konami is yet to confirm these reports.
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 no future titles being developed.
There are also reports of Employees “deemed useless” were apparently given menial and degrading tasks, and communication with outsiders was restricted and lunch breaks monitored at Konami according to Japanese newspaper Nikkei.
These new developments are recent in the long chain of unfortunate events taking place at Konami after shift toward mobile-game development, following the cancellation of Silent Hills and Hideo Kojima’s departure from the company.
