Konami just become the Ultimate despair.

[Leopardos]

I cant believe the people who get upset because they can't download it anymore, they didn't lose much...
Its the most boring game ever made,
i uninstalled it and i don't REGRET IT

 

[chip_rampage]

Nice Danganronpa reference

 

[Sonikku]

You know.... with Konami not allowing the redownload of the PT even with it in your account.. It just cast a seed of distrust of future of the downloadable gaming. Soon it will be known as The Worst, Most Despair-Inducing Incident in the History of Gaming.

#firstworldproblems

 

[cmdrdredd]

you either have them when they pull them, or you don't.

happened with MK2 on ps3. probably others as well.

this is another reason i don't give a shit about digital games and will 100% of the time pick the disc version if it's available.

Yep, even with 105Mbps internet I still want the disk if possible.

 

[smackababy]

you either have them when they pull them, or you don't.

happened with MK2 on ps3. probably others as well.

this is another reason i don't give a shit about digital games and will 100% of the time pick the disc version if it's available.

Crapcom did this with MVC3 and the DLC. They pulled the digital version from stores and removed the DLC from the marketplace.

 

[Xellos2099]

Nice Danganronpa reference

It is part reference and part serious. Of course it is a joke that will bring about Ultimate Despair high school student. But it also cast a seed of distrust of future of digital gaming. It has happen before like mvc but nothing as huge profile as PT. I believe it is a good chance to cast light on this topic. Game Industry of Mutual Killing of 2015.

 

[Dranoche]

Crapcom did this with MVC3 and the DLC. They pulled the digital version from stores and removed the DLC from the marketplace.

That's because their license with Marvel expired, and it wasn't just Capcom. Any developer/publisher not under the Disney umbrella went through the same thing. But the content was just delisted from the marketplace. People who already owned it at the time of expiration can still download it.

 

[Sulaco]

It's a baffling move on Konami's part for a few reasons:

One, and most importantly, it was almost universally praised, discussed, and in the spotlight across the internet for much of the time it was out. That's pretty impressive and unprecedented considering it wasn't even an official demo, merely a playable teaser lasting all of an hour or less. I'd say the P.T. generated more positive attention and excitement than the last couple Silent Hill GAMES combined.

Secondly, piggy backing off the last point, it's a "playable teaser", not a demo. It's not showcasing any particular game or individual game traits unqiue to a now-cancelled project; it was more or less a self-contained showcase of "what the atmosphere and art direction may be like for the series"
That is to say, you're not showcasing exclusive designs, characters, plot and play style/control that are now gone forever, it was more a tech demo of horror. A kind of "Watch this...this is what we can still do when we put our minds to it" kind of thing, that's still perfectly valid and relevant if Konami plans to continue the series, as they say they do.

I could see if it was a demo, featuring Norman Reedus and other voice talents that were no longer associated with the series, or revealed plot specific things or locations or whatever that were now never going to see the light of day. But...that's not the case.

I'm thinking there must be a legal side of this somehow that Konami doesn't want to discuss.

 

[Topweasel]

That's because their license with Marvel expired, and it wasn't just Capcom. Any developer/publisher not under the Disney umbrella went through the same thing. But the content was just delisted from the marketplace. People who already owned it at the time of expiration can still download it.

And this is the big difference. There is a always going to be issues with media no longer being offered. But when digital storefronts like Xbox Live, PSN, Steam, Origin and all the rest cut access to download media that you have purchased that is when the trust relationship between a storefront and a customer dies. Not just with that storefront but all digital storefronts. Konami might be right in thinking that there is no breach in trust by having Sony pull it, because it was a free trailer. But its a slippery slope. How long before a company includes the provision in their TOS to allow them to pull an app after they decide to shutdown their MP servers?

 

[Fulle]

If I think of significant Konami games released in the last 10 years, I think their biggest IPs were Metal Gear, Silent Hill, and Castelvania. Metal Gear and Silent Hill's future projects seem sketchy, without Hideo Kojima... and Koji Igarashi, the director of Castlevania, left March of last year!

So, is Konami exiting the videogame business then?

 

[cmdrdredd]

If I think of significant Konami games released in the last 10 years, I think their biggest IPs were Metal Gear, Silent Hill, and Castelvania. Metal Gear and Silent Hill's future projects seem sketchy, without Hideo Kojima... and Koji Igarashi, the director of Castlevania, left March of last year!

So, is Konami exiting the videogame business then?

Nah, they still make other titles like Pro Evolution Soccer. I believe they published Skullgirls and they have the license for Yu-Gi-Oh but I have no clue how popular those games even are.

 

[mmntech]

It's a baffling move on Konami's part for a few reasons:

One, and most importantly, it was almost universally praised, discussed, and in the spotlight across the internet for much of the time it was out. That's pretty impressive and unprecedented considering it wasn't even an official demo, merely a playable teaser lasting all of an hour or less. I'd say the P.T. generated more positive attention and excitement than the last couple Silent Hill GAMES combined.

Secondly, piggy backing off the last point, it's a "playable teaser", not a demo. It's not showcasing any particular game or individual game traits unqiue to a now-cancelled project; it was more or less a self-contained showcase of "what the atmosphere and art direction may be like for the series"
That is to say, you're not showcasing exclusive designs, characters, plot and play style/control that are now gone forever, it was more a tech demo of horror. A kind of "Watch this...this is what we can still do when we put our minds to it" kind of thing, that's still perfectly valid and relevant if Konami plans to continue the series, as they say they do.

I could see if it was a demo, featuring Norman Reedus and other voice talents that were no longer associated with the series, or revealed plot specific things or locations or whatever that were now never going to see the light of day. But...that's not the case.

I'm thinking there must be a legal side of this somehow that Konami doesn't want to discuss.

Good ideas get canned for a variety of reasons. Maybe the project was going way over budget, or profit forecasts were low. I get the feeling though that there's a big corporate shake up going behind the scenes there.

Never try to make sense out of anything the Japanese corporate world does. They're run by committees of old men where everybody has veto power. That's how you get baffling decisions.

 

[mmntech]

Konami's private fight with Kojima just got a lot more public over the last few days.

YouTuber and self proclaimed "psudo-game journalist" Super Bunnyhop made a video speculating about what was going on behind the scenes at the company. An inside source told him that big layoffs are coming and the company plans to "burn the MGS franchise to the ground". Furthermore, the company is alleged to be quickly shifting resources away from console and PC to cheaper mobile and gambling titles. This is part of why they chose to part ways with Kojima's team. The Metal Gear games are expensive to produce but have been experiencing a decline in popularity. The source also hints at some sort of personal dispute between Konami's CEO and Kojima.

While he trusts his source, he says to take the news as a grain of salt since he can't verify their claims.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=493&v=iMK-kajdgMA

Now here's where things get interesting. Konami slapped a copyright claim against Super Bunnyhop's video and had it pulled from the site. Yesterday, YouTube unilaterally restored the video and removed the copyright strike against SBH's account, saying that Konami's complaint was "missing required information". Which is odd, since they rarely step into these disputes.

Polygon spoke to a copyright lawyer about the issue. Any possible legal justification for their actions is is shaky at best. Right now, it looks like Konami deliberately tried to censor the video.
https://www.polygon.com/2015/5/12/8...nt-you-to-watch-this-video-about-hideo-kojima

Over on his Twitter today, SBH claims to have received "troubling info" about the takedown but did not clarify. So it seems the plot keeps thickening.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Maybe Konami is in bad financial shape and there are contract disputes. As was mentioned they only have a few franchises and they aren't that big so I would not be surprised if it was the case.

 

[mmntech]

The Japanese Triple-A video game industry right now is like watching a train wreck in slow motion. They're relying on outdated business models and can't compete internationally as a result.

Part of the problem is a lot of those executives cut their chops on the Famicom and in the arcades. They don't really understand what modern gamers want. Particularly gamers outside of Japan. Strict corporate hierarchies prevent fresh ideas from being approved. They fall back on tradition instead of innovation.

Right now, you're seeing companies turn inwards rather than competing internationally. Japan is the world's largest market for mobile games.

By contrast, console sales have been fairly flat. The PS4 has only pushed 1.27 million units in Japan. When we look at the tie-ratio, Japan gamers own three PS4 games on average while international ones own 4-5 depending on the market. The Wii U's numbers are fairly similar. Consoles perform better internationally, and games made internationally sell better.

Why? Japanese video games are made for a Japanese market. The best selling Western and Korean games tend to be cross-cultural.

Konami would be the second company to put their eggs into the mobile and gambling baskets. Sega did so earlier this year after the dismal failure that was Sonic Boom. Actually, Sega is a good case study on why these Japanese companies are failing. Go read some of Tom Kalinske's interviews about his time with the company and why he left. It shows a problem that's been festering since at least the early 90s.

So far, only Nintendo and Sony have managed to get by. I think because Miyamoto and Kutanagi like to think outside the box. What makes Miyamoto so brilliant is that he's willing to foster new ideas coming out of young designers. Once he retires, I can see Nintendo taking the same path as the others.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Well Sony more than Nintendo on accepting outside ideas etc. that is why Sony is in the position they are in regards to developer relations and such. I looked at the upcoming wiiu releases and I count 6 between now and next February. Meanwhile the xb1 and ps4 have about a hundred scheduled. It really is a matter of not evolving with the industry especially with so much relying on having a solid online experience.

Like you mentioned, Konkani was a big name back in the arcades and with games like contra on 16bit platforms. They never really did make the transition to the 3D era very well outside of a couple titles.

 

[poofyhairguy]

They fall back on tradition instead of innovation.

Makes me wish Squaresoft never merged with EA. Maybe they would be desperately cranking out JRPGs right now.

 

[Aikouka]

Makes me wish Squaresoft never merged with EA. Maybe they would be desperately cranking out JRPGs right now.

You mean Enix? You'd think they would crank out more JRPGs given we're talking about the companies that brought us Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. It actually seems like Square is busy pushing games to other platforms. For example, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years just came out on Steam the other day. It makes me wonder if we'll see FFXV on PC too. :hmm:

 

[poofyhairguy]

You mean Enix? You'd think they would crank out more JRPGs given we're talking about the companies that brought us Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.

Only on mobile platforms. The big consoles just get western-style RPGs with anime-looking characters. It is a tragedy.

It actually seems like Square is busy pushing games to other platforms. For example, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years just came out on Steam the other day. It makes me wonder if we'll see FFXV on PC too. :hmm:

I had it pre-ordered on Steam even though I have played it before to show my support. I care less about getting FFXV on there and more about getting more of the better mobile games. I would love to play Bravely Default or The 4 Heroes of Light on my big TV without an emulator.

 

[Aikouka]

Only on mobile platforms. The big consoles just get western-style RPGs with anime-looking characters. It is a tragedy.

It's really a shame, because Square-Enix tries, tries and tries to cater to the Western audience, but they just fail to understand a few basic things. For example, outside Japan, people tend to prefer consoles over handhelds. It's the exact opposite in Japan. There's a reason why Sony actually released the PlayStation 4 later in their own country. Unsurprisingly, it has sold a lot more units outside of Japan.

I think Square-Enix ought to take a page from one of their old employee's books. Blue Dragon, created by Sakaguchi Hironobu's Mistwalker, came out in 2006(J)/2007(NA), and even though I played it around 2012/2013, I thought that 5-year-old game looked great. Why? It was willing to use a cartoon (anime) art style, which doesn't age that badly. While it's still a fairly expansive 3D game, which means it'll have a modest cost, it should cost less than trying to make lifelike characters and scenes. We don't need whiz-bang-boom for the game to be good! :\

I had it pre-ordered on Steam even though I have played it before to show my support. I care less about getting FFXV on there and more about getting more of the better mobile games. I would love to play Bravely Default or The 4 Heroes of Light on my big TV without an emulator.

I pre-ordered it as well (through GMG with a nice discount!). I actually still haven't played it even though I own the game on iOS. Even though I want to play the game, I just have little ambition to play a RPG on a mobile device. I've done it in the past with other RPGs, and my main takeaway is, "I wish this was on a bigger screen...."

Speaking of Bravely Default, I never made it far past chapter 3 in that game. I just didn't care about all that junk with the kid and the old guy (that lost his son), but the game forces you to put in all the effort to get it done.

 

[mmntech]

Well Sony more than Nintendo on accepting outside ideas etc. that is why Sony is in the position they are in regards to developer relations and such. I looked at the upcoming wiiu releases and I count 6 between now and next February. Meanwhile the xb1 and ps4 have about a hundred scheduled. It really is a matter of not evolving with the industry especially with so much relying on having a solid online experience.

Nintendo is still building their consoles with a Japan-centric focus. That's despite the fact that Japan isn't even there biggest market. However, they do make games with strong international appeal. It's just that online gaming isn't as popular in Japan as it is elsewhere. They prefer local multiplayer. Which explains why online services are still not a priority for them, or are even seen as a threat (e.g. YouTube).

Oddly enough, the Wii U still has a better tie-ratio (games sold per console) than both the PS4 and XB1. Amiibo was a brilliant move.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Nintendo is still building their consoles with a Japan-centric focus. That's despite the fact that Japan isn't even there biggest market. However, they do make games with strong international appeal. It's just that online gaming isn't as popular in Japan as it is elsewhere. They prefer local multiplayer. Which explains why online services are still not a priority for them, or are even seen as a threat (e.g. YouTube).



Oddly enough, the Wii U still has a better tie-ratio (games sold per console) than both the PS4 and XB1. Amiibo was a brilliant move.

When you sell millions fewer consoles that is inevitable. The people buying them are buying them for a specific title.

 

[IlllI]

konami as people knew it has died. They just announced their main focus is mobile gaming. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1046059#ftag=YHF6738a5f

 

[TeknoBug]

It was announced last week that PT was removed yet if you still have it, you can still play it (didn't say anything about downloading it).

PS- I cannot stand mobile gaming, ugh I hope the future of gaming doesn't narrow down to this.