Konami Isn’t Dead Yet- They Just Refocused on Pachinko and Video Slots

Konami is unquestionably one of the great names in the entertainment industry. The Japanese company is officially known as Konami Holdings Corporation and they have been in the market for the past 49 years, being founded in March of 1969. The Asian Gaming Conglomerate is recognized for producing and distributing varied types of software for the entertainment industry. The most popular products include arcade cabinets, trading cards, tokusatsu, anime, and video slot machines. The Japanese company also works as an operator of fitness and health-related clubs around Japan.

Despite being a multifaceted company, working in a large number of fields related to entertainment Konami has a deep passion for games of all kinds and the gaming industry in general. For this reason, they have produced remarkable classics throughout the years, conquering a respected position in the market. The production of slots is equivalent to the renowned WMS slots, which is an extremely valued company in the field. Furthermore, Konami does not limit itself to the Asian market, having their products distributed throughout all continents, from the old to the new.

An Empire of Gaming Technologies

Regardless of the empire of all kinds of entertainment solutions provided by Kagemasa Kozuki, the founder of Konami Holdings Corporation, the company is mostly recognized for their most famous game creations, such as Castlevania and Metal Gear Solid. In the late 80’s, the Japanese gaming developer launched the enigmatic game that had a haunted castle as the scenario of creepy adventures that involved iconic characters, such as vampires and other types of monsters.

That decade was absolutely unforgettable for gaming enthusiasts, not only for Castlevania but also for the other incredible games by Konami. Names like Gradius, Gradius II: The Return of the Hero, Dracula Densetsu, Castlevania: The Adventure, and a whole bunch of other titles were launched from the late 80’s to the early 90’s, which contributed to the unbeatable fame of Konami. Despite the huge success on the Nintendo Entertainment Systems or NES for short, the company kept evolving and satisfying the public of the emerging consoles.

The Sony PlayStation was a fever in some countries, and of course, Konami was present as a game developer for that platform. Needless to say that the best creations for the PSP were the Gradius Gaiden and the illustrious Metal Gear Solid. As time passed, Konami started to change. The simple modifications in their logo were enough to get some fans thinking about what was coming next. The PS2 had astonishing titles like Metal Gear Solid 3 and Gradius V. However, like any other industry, the console market kept growing and evolving.

Microsoft developed the Xbox 360 while Sony evolved into the PS3. In the meantime, Konami worked on games for those platforms, good games by the way. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes was known to be an extremely short game for a considerably high price in the time. However, it was still good and admired by the fans of the series. Konami did not stop there, they kept creating further versions of the game, until the point it started to be highly criticized by the large public. Even though the company kept working on the development of such classics, as time passed a doubt started to haunt the minds of some of the fans.

What Happened to Konami?

Today, there are players that think the company is dead, due to their lack of innovation in some aspects. However, such a thing is not true at all. The wide variation in the types of products developed by the brand is the reason people wonder if they are still alive. One thing is a fact- Konami practically ditched their most famous classic: Metal Gear Solid, as well as console games, in general, to replace them with much more profitable solutions.

Konami Is Focusing on Mobile Gaming, Pachinko, and Video Slot Machines

The Japanese company is investing in the gambling and mobile market on their newest projects. In addition to that, they have been working with gyms alternatives. Yes, you’ve read right, gyms. At the end of 2016, Konami reported a significant increase in the profits, with a jump of at least 70% compared to the same period in the previous year. This is mostly due to their new line of work. The development of mobile games such as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links and Jikkiou Powerful Soccer is the main reason for the company’s boost. Both games are responsible for a record of downloads among all of the other games by the company.

In addition to that, Konami is now one of the largest producers of Pachinko and video slot machines in Japan, expanding the market throughout the other continents. Among the list of famous video slots, Konami displays games like Rocky Slots, African Diamond, China Shores, and Danger Inc. The unique features and high levels of creativity are what makes these games so popular.