Konami apologizes for "mobile first" miscommunication

Although unsurprisingly hailed by mobile gamers as the way of the future, Konami president Hideki Hayakawa's statements about a "mobile first" mission for the company caused no small amount of fans to panic. Considering the company's biggest franchises, Silent Hill and Metal Gear, are console titles, that shock and even anger is equally understandable. Now Konami is coming out to clarify those statements and apologize for the confusion. Apparently, Konami has a different interpretation of the term "mobile first" which, for the company, just means "mobile too".

A few weeks ago, Konami's then new president made some rather bold, though not entirely unexpected, statements regarding the future direction for the game publisher. Konami has seen better days and its key game IPs are in danger of descending into obscurity. Stoking the flames of anxiety even more, Hayakawa issued the "mobile first" statement that has sent the Internet and gamers into a frenzy of speculation.

For some, it was the only conceivable way forward for any gaming company whose coffers are starting to run thin. For long time fans, however, the "first" part of the statement induced fears that beloved console titles will be shelved and that Konami would be come a mobile only company.

Not so fast, now says Konami. It isn't going mobile-only. It isn't even going mobile first, per se. What Hayakawa really meant to say, supposedly, was that it will also build up mobile games in addition to console, arcade, and card games, though the mobile part is qualified with "the best possible use". So it's more like a "mobile also" or even a "mobile maybe" when it makes sense. It's a more practical stance, definitely, but also sounds weaker in terms of a commitment to mobile games.

As for Silent Hill and Metal Gear, Konami assures fans that these two aren't going anywhere, despite the cancellation of Silent Hills. They are, after all, its biggest cash cows. They will continue to produce products for these two, though it can't share anything yet at this point.

SOURCE: IGN