Konami to relaunch Metal Gear, Castlevania and Silent Hill

Konami is set to ramp up its premium game development with new installments and remakes for its biggest franchises, including Metal Gear and Castlevania.

This is according to publication sources who spoke to VGC anonymously as they did not have permission to publicly discuss their plans.

The release of Konami’s original games has slowed down considerably in recent years. The last new Metal Gear game was Metal Gear Survive from 2018, while the last major version of Castlevania was Lord of Shadow 2 from 2014.

Over the past decade, the company has arguably gained a greater reputation for its Pachinko games of chance than its premium versions for PC and consoles.

However, following a restructuring of the company’s game development divisions earlier this year, Konami is now focused on returning its biggest brands to the premium gaming space, it was explained. at VGC.

The first of those titles will be a new Castlevania game, which sources have described as a “reimagining” of the series currently in internal development at Konami in Japan, with support from local external studios.

There has been a lot of speculation that Demon’s Souls studio Bluepoint may be working on a Metal Gear Solid remake. However, VGC has learned that the series is being worked on by an external studio based in China.

The remake project is currently in development, and several sources have suggested that it will focus on the fan-favorite entry, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, rather than the original MGS.

Konami also intends to release remasters of the original Metal Gear Solid games for modern consoles, ahead of the larger project, we understand.

Finally, several Silent Hill games are currently in development at various external development studios, according to a previous VGC report from February.

One of those projects was outsourced to a prominent Japanese developer earlier this year, we were told.

Konami is expected to publicly present its plans at major shows next year, if the pandemic permits. Konami pulled out of this year’s E3 2021 show due to “timing” issues, although at the time it confirmed it had “a number of key projects” underway.

Konami’s Japanese bosses have historically reportedly pushed back most pitches to outsource its key game brands, which is a big reason why previous pitches for Silent Hill games, like the one from studio Until Dawn Supermassive, weren’t enlightened.

However, following the disappointing performance of recent in-house titles Metal Gear Survive and Contra: Rogue Corps, VGC sources said the company has become more willing to contract outside studios for its major franchises.

VGC first signaled Konami’s easing of its stance on licensing its gaming properties earlier this year, in a report revealing that the company has outsourced a new Silent Hill game.

Last year, Konami stepped up its gaming efforts with the creation of a new external publishing program, with which it hoped to sign more titles developed in the West.