Konami has introduced that its last financial year (April 2021—March 2022) was essentially the most worthwhile within the firm’s historical past by an enormous distance. The Japanese writer’s working revenue was ¥74.4 billion, which interprets to roughly $577 million USD, and its internet revenue was ¥54.8 billion or about $425 million.
Regardless of the notion amongst some that Konami does not make video games anymore and is mainly a pachinko enterprise, the monetary outcomes present that the other is the case. What’s true, nonetheless, is that a lot of Konami’s largest successes both do not come to the West, or largely go below the radar exterior of their captive audiences.
A giant latest success, for instance, is Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, launched on Steam in January. This F2P sport has since amassed over 30 million gamers and can likely be stored going for a few years to come back. However Konami’s additionally had an enormous hit with Momtaro Dentetsu, which is barely out there on Change in Japan, and offered over 3.5 million (it is a long-running sequence, initially a HudsonSoft joint, that is mainly a cheery board sport about prepare stations).
Throughout the financials Konami breaks down its enterprise into Digital Leisure (dwelling videogames), Amusement (listed here are the pachinko machines, in addition to arcade video games like Beatmania), Sports activities (it runs leisure centres in Japan), and slightly confusingly Gaming & Programs (on line casino software program). Of Konami’s ¥299.5 billion in income over this monetary yr, ¥215 billion of that’s from Digital Leisure, and ¥19.5 billion from Amusement. There is no clearer language than cash, and which means 72% of Konami’s income is coming from videogames.
Simply to ram dwelling the purpose, Konami launched 18 videogames over this monetary yr, admittedly a few of them doubling-up throughout cellular and PC / console. The house titles: Tremendous Bomberman R On-line; eBaseball Professional Yakyuu Spirits 2022: Grand Slam; Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel: Daybreak of the Battle Royale!!; Beat Area Konasute; Castlevania Advance Assortment; eFootball 2022; Tokimeki Memorial: Woman’s Facet 4th Coronary heart; Dance Dance Revolution Grand-Prix Konasute; Energy Professional-Kun Pocket R; Sound Voltex Exceed Gear Konasute; Yu-Gi-Oh! Grasp Duel; GetsuFumaDen: Timeless Moon.
Cell video games: jubeat; Contra Returns; Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls (iOS); eFootball 2022; Yu-Gi-Oh! Grasp Duel; Edens Zero Pocket Galaxy.
All of which is to say: Konami’s had a little bit of a monstering within the West because the Kojima break up, however plenty of the issues stated about it are simply straight-up unfaithful. It does, admittedly, appear to be much less enthusiastic about bringing sure of its titles to Western audiences than different large Japanese publishers. But it surely’s not simply sitting there churning out pachinko machines.
One other notable component in these monetary outcomes, although that is most likely wishful pondering, is that Konami references Metallic Gear a number of occasions as one in every of its largest franchises. The financials embrace a notice that the Metallic Gear sequence has offered 58.3 million models, making it Konami’s second-highest promoting sequence after Successful Eleven / eFootball. Given at present’s obvious Silent Hill leak, and Konami’s aggression in going after it, that will not be the one traditional sequence that has a future.
