Konami is way worse than we thought...

[MetalFRO]

Is there a good chance Konami will go bankrupt and have to sell the properties to companies that will actually use the franchises? We're talking about multiple beloved franchises here. It seems like that's our only chance right now

I would love to see a good developer get hold of the likes of the Gradius/Salamander license, or of course, the Contra games.  And how much irony would there be if Konami went under and Iga found a way to buy out the Castlevania rights and keep making games under that banner?

[Dev1anc3]

I'm still trying to figure out what the purpose was of that poll they took from gamers a few months back. Was that to see which of their IP's were the most desirable / marketable so they could put a price to offer them to potential buyers?   ...  or was this to see which one of their beloved franchises they were going to rape next by turning it into a pachinko machine?

Something I also think is weird is that Konami denied that they'd shut down production on AAA console games ("I know some blogs were claiming that online this morning, but I'm not really sure where they'd be getting that from. We're still definitely working on console games and franchises such as Metal Gear, Silent Hill, Castlevania, PES and all the rest."), but instead of shutting people up with proof, or an announcement of an upcoming game, they did none of that. All of the franchises that were mentioned in the statement just happened to be future pachinko machines...  so maybe we'll end up with console pachinko simulators. I could play Pachinko Castlevania: Erection of the Night on my XBOX One...   Wouldn't that be swell?!?

If Konami does actually sell off their franchises, what company, that could realistically afford the franchises, would be able to do them justice without pissing off fans even more? 10 years ago, I would have said Nintendo, or Capcom, but for the most part, it sees like the old school Japanese companies that could do no wrong in the 80's and 90's, seem to have lost touch with their fanbase, and the console market in general, and can barely handle their own franchises...  and I'd hate to see EA or Activision buy them up, and force some developer to shit out a half baked Metal Gear or Castlevania game every holiday season...  the future of the Konami franchises just doesn't look very bright at the moment.

[h1ghw1nd]

I'd let Square-Enix have a chance at Metal Gear. They did the last Hitman & Tomb Raider games and they were excellent IMO. I think Capcom could probably do a Contra game. As long as EA doesn't touch any of them it's worth the risk for me haha.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

Wow... all the EA hate because you think they'll turn into "yearly" franchises, and yet look at DA:I and Star Wars, and the length of time that Bioware puts into their titles. Honestly, all of the "successful" AAA publishers all pimp out their major franchises as yearly titles, so you can stop the bandwagon there. Hell, there have been 5 Assassin's Creed games within the past year.

Square Enix, as a publisher, is terrible too. Their idea of customer service is "Is it something you can call in and fix? Toggling your Wifi didn't fix it? Then go fuck yourself." They're already cutting costs by removing any sort of platform-specific features, and targeting only one platform for console and mobile. I won't say that they're on their way out, but they're trying to beat the cost curve by streamlining even further at the expense of the customer. I like their games, but the publisher itself is terrible.

[Gentlegamer]

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[Dev1anc3]

Wow... all the EA hate because you think they'll turn into "yearly" franchises, and yet look at DA:I and Star Wars, and the length of time that Bioware puts into their titles. Honestly, all of the "successful" AAA publishers all pimp out their major franchises as yearly titles, so you can stop the bandwagon there. Hell, there have been 5 Assassin's Creed games within the past year.

I don't "hate" EA. I didn't say ALL EA games suck. I'm no band wagoner. Don't get your panties in a wad. Star Wars isn't an annual title... yet, but you don't think that there was pressure to get the game released in time for the upcoming movie? Besides, even if it was rushed, it has the Star Wars logo...   it could end up as playable as Superman 64, and it would still sell regardless. If you don't believe me, then look at Star Wars Kinect.

Dragon Age isn't a yearly franchise either. If Konami franchises were handled with the respect that Dragon Age gets, I'd have no problems with EA, Activision, or Ubisoft handling it...  I just wouldn't want these licenses falling into mediocrity like Assassin's Creed, Need For Speed, Call Of Duty, or the other games that these "successful" companies churn out regularly...  and I also wouldn't want to see any of these franchises handled like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 was... ugh.

I'm just saying that I'd rather see a smaller company without as much on their plate have a shot at it. Then maybe these franchises could get the love and attention they deserve, without having to worry about making a deadline, or selling slightly altered versions of the same game every year.