I am a hyper person. I get excited for game announcements and seeing people enjoy their games they connect with. There are days though that some hype dwindles down, and I get a bit, lets say, worried. I do want people to love and express concerns with titles they actually play and not just by seeing a trailer. There is one thing that I am surprised and overjoyed to see while others may be confused on what’s happening behind the scenes.
This may be me and just my take on it, but I think Konami and Nintendo might be reuniting their business, and it feels remarkable. To others, it could be one of the most confusing movements to happen in gaming. During Nintendo’s latest Indie World Showcase, Konami and indie developer GuruGuru, presented GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon. It’s a sequel to the Japan-only Famicom game, GetsuFumaDen.
Konami has frequently placed their titles on Nintendo with some also being other platforms. The surprise announcement and release of Skelattack from Konami shocked the gaming community because it was a hint that Konami was getting back to releasing video games and putting these experiences on Nintendo Switch.
With the aftermath that happened with Kojima and the Silent Hill game as a pachinko machine, Konami was the company people knew and respected in the early 80’s and 90’s. Konami was a big third party name that some of the best licensed beat ’em up titles like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game, X-Men, Batman Returns, and more. They even had their own IPs like Contra, Sunset Riders, and Castlevania. Even sports games like Double Dribble or RPGs like Suikoden. They really were a top notch company.
As the PlayStation era arrived, Konami slowly began to move away from Nintendo’s console while placing smaller games on their handhelds. Once Metal Gear Solid became the hit game known around the world, it was becoming the only title Konami would bring to America for awhile. There were some side games like Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, but it wasn’t the game many people come to love with it comes to the Metal Gear series. With Metal Gear Online bombing in sales, certain gamers in the community were wishing this would be Konami’s downfall.
As time went on, Konami surprised everyone with Super Bomberman R on Nintendo Switch. It was major success for both companies. Soon, we started to see arcade ports of their titles, collections of Contra and Castlevania, an indie game titled Skelattack that they published, and as mentioned earlier, GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon hitting Nintendo Switch (and other platforms). It seems that announcing and showing their games on Switch just might be the right choice for their business and marketing. If there is a possibility of getting some of their other titles on NES and SNES online, we may see Konami back in the spotlight of being respected.
Some gamers were confused about the new titles they are publishing for Switch. They wonder if Konami turned into an indie developer; but to clarify, they are publishing the game. Konami owns the IP and has indie developer GuruGuru making this title. That said, Konami may be on the road to a comeback. If they can produce more titles like this, Konami could become important once again to the industry.
Time will tell because Nintendo was their big supporter when it came to their games, and with Switch offering a variety of creative ideas, Konami’s uniqueness and quality can come to the system. Their reputation could be restored for the better and their business would benefit greatly from it. Forgiveness might not happen, but redemption could.
With a rumor that Sony and Konami may create a Castlevania game, it could be interesting to see how this impacts their return to prominence. While that is one lane, Konami can be driving in the other lane with Nintendo and maybe Microsoft. For now though, seeing Konami reuniting with Nintendo in some form or fashion proves that games can always lead to greater things for the future. While it might be confusing for some, I gladly welcome this unity.
Eddie V. is a co-founder of Boss Rush Games who writes, podcasts, and loves video game trivia. You can find him on twitter with @thatretrocode.
Source: IGN, Bloody Disgusting
