Konami has become a bit of a joke lately. The drama with Kojima, the fall out around Silent Hills P.T., and even their refusal to make the games players keep begging for (read: I just want them to make Suikoden, please), it’s all enough for us to bet that they are in a downward spiral towards bankruptcy. However, that’s a losing bet at this point.
The financial year end has come to a close, and Konami has made some cash. A lot of cash, in fact. The company is reporting growth in net income of 147%, increasing from ¥3.8 billion ($31.7m) in 2014 to ¥9.5 billion ($79.1m) for the year ending March 31, 2015. However, Konami has predicted exactly the same margins and profit for next year – after 150% growth, a flat year despite the release of MGSV? I guess they realise that they might not continue to grow thanks to recent revelations.
Most of the controversy has come to light after the point when it could impact the financial year. However, it will be interesting to see how the company does in the coming year. I often tell Gavin that people care about issues and will make this opinions heard with their wallets. He always replies by saying that people like to make noise but rarely change their actual behaviour.
He’s probably right, but I like to think that gamers are sufficiently outraged to make their displeasure known to Konami. Then again, Konami isn’t relying on console gamers anymore – they’ve changed their model to make most of their money from mobile gamers. In fact, they probably don’t care what we’re saying about them; mobile gamers continue to throw enough money at them to stop caring about Kojima or their die-hard fans.
Last Updated: May 13, 2015
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
May 13, 2015 at 11:39
I believe the only reason they showed profit is because everyone had to pay for that damned MGSV demo…
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:04
Got that free with my PS4. Though I kind of hoped for GTA V…
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
May 13, 2015 at 12:06
I agree with that statement in full….
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:07
Though I also got the Last of US remastered… Now I can finally see what the hype was all about. Once I get to playing it of course.
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
May 13, 2015 at 12:10
Strapped for time? What is this thing called sleep anyway?
Aries
May 13, 2015 at 12:13
Bought it a few months ago and still didnt finish it, but I’m almost there, it my Saturday morning game, but Saturday mornings isn’t the best to play it
Blood Emperor Trevor
May 13, 2015 at 11:40
Gavin’s right for the most part. Complain about shit, then justify rewarding behaviour we just complained about. We all do that, and only rarely do anything about it.
“I hate EA! I hate EA!I hate EA! I hate EA! I hate EA! I hate EA!” “Hi, this is EA & we’re announcing a new Mass Effect game.” “I hate EA, but I’m going to buy ME because I like ME and can’t live without it!”
Hammersteyn
May 13, 2015 at 11:42
I’m still waiting for DA:I to show up in the second hand bin. Will do the same with ME.
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 11:56
You will wait for the second hand bin copy of Mass Effect???? What are you? High????
Pariah
May 13, 2015 at 11:57
I got ME1 and 2 from a 2nd hand bin… O_o
Then sent them back when I was done for ME3. And now own the trilogy on PC.
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 11:59
Oh I own the trilogy on PC too… But for the love of Pete, I would invent time travel to get a new copy of ME…
Lord Chaos
May 13, 2015 at 12:01
He like’s hand me downs. 😛
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:02
LoL. Does a hand me down klap count?
Hammersteyn
May 13, 2015 at 12:08
as a kite
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:10
with all his might
Pariah
May 13, 2015 at 11:53
I don’t hate EA across the board. They’ve made dumb decisions, plenty of them. But every new game is a new opportunity to do something different, and correct past mistakes. I wait and see, and if I feel they deserve the cash for a game, I buy it, no issues. I will never buy Battlefield, for example, but DA:I and ME? Yeah, no issues. Reward good stuff, punish bad, and if all of us do that, we teach the companies. But to just outright boycott everything? That solves nothing.
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 11:57
Common sense is not so common. Well said sir!
Kensei Seraph
May 13, 2015 at 11:58
https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1366/4600745890_238784df33_z.jpg
Blood Emperor Trevor
May 13, 2015 at 11:59
It solves everything for me. They get zero money from me for their business practices. Telling me to only buy half their games (the ones I might like) while assuming I would have bought all their games otherwise, is pointless.
“I don’t like what Woolies does as a company, but I really like their fruit so I still buy my fruit there but nothing else to reward their… nice fruit?”
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:00
^ This for me.
HelenKWalter
May 13, 2015 at 15:09
???Creat profit with Google at Home@nx23:::
???http://Home-InsiderChampionDesign.org/Pro/star…
Krabby Paddy
May 13, 2015 at 12:53
Hell if I had to completely boycott companies I don’t like, I’d hardly be able to buy anything!
Hammersteyn
May 13, 2015 at 12:11
It’s the principle of the thing. How can I bad mouth 90% of what EA does and still support them. That’s what Gavin means with ” people like to make noise but rarely change their actual behavior” Warner Bros. and Ubisoft recently made my “Never preorder from them” list.
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:01
From the day I went anti-EA, I purposefully have not given them a single cent of my money. I’ll take the free games that are classics (thanks for the free stuff suckers!) but beyond that, they can GTFO.
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:04
No. Please. Make your hate for EA complete. Take all or take nothing. Don’t be a half baked activist!
Blood Emperor Trevor
May 13, 2015 at 12:08
But I like teasing them. I’ll take the free game, and while they sit there hoping I’ll like them enough to buy another game because they gave me an old one that isn’t selling anymore for free I’ll be all “HAH! IN YOUR FACE, EA! DENIED!” And then I imagine their little baby faces crumpling slowly into tears with the snot flowing freely, and I feel good about myself.
I’m not perfect.
Kensei Seraph
May 13, 2015 at 12:09
I imagined that scene and it was promptly followed up by them wiping the snot and tears away with all the money they made from DLC and stuff.
I died a little inside.
Blood Emperor Trevor
May 13, 2015 at 12:18
Now you ruined it. I hope you’re happy.
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:10
And yet they are good enough for free stuff. That is on par with keeping a girl in tow just so you can have sex with her, and when she expects you to make things permanent, you friendzone her. Again.
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:10
Argument by analogy failed. It isn’t remotely on par. At all.
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:12
Oh I’m sorry Princess. Let me make it relevant to you:
And yet they are good enough for free stuff. That is on par with keeping a panda in tow just so you can have sex with it, and when it expects you to make things permanent, you friendzone her. Again.
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:18
Hahahaha. You think I didn’t understand it because it wasn’t about a panda? And I’m a “Princess” now? Why that specific term? Is it supposed to upset me that I’m Panda Royalty? Or because I am a male and that term is female? Or because I am like the succulent, but frail, flower? Are all princess’ frail now? So much depth to that comment.
But we are not here to argue about your inner psyche!
Drop me your email address. I can send you some philosophy 101 notes if you’d like on how analogies actually work. I.e. what a strong analogy is and what constitutes an absolute failure. Until then, I shall cease to point out the mistakes any longer. I’ll just “decline” future ones. 🙂
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:24
Oh I am ever so sorry that I am not on par with your intelectual… intolektual aaaah fuckit I am sorry I am not as clever as you…
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:25
Declined
Edit: P.S. You’re forgiven.
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:27
What she said when you tried to make a deposit?
Pariah
May 13, 2015 at 12:23
We were under no illusions, Trev. 🙂
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:08
My hate for EA is complete. It isn’t half baked to want access to games like Theme Hospital (a game made when EA weren’t a bunch of jacked up DLC-junkies with little to no soul left) – plus – again – they’re free.
*Edit: Plus the point is to not give them money. That’s the support they count at the end of the day. That’s what’ll change their business model. They don’t go “oh look 10 000 000 people downloaded Theme Hospital. We must be on the right track and making profit.”
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:11
And yet made by EA and supplied by current day EA. ON ORIGIN NOGALS!!!!
I call thee Sir Hypocrite!
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:14
Hypocrite
noun hyp·o·crite ?hi-p?-?krit
1: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
As I stated in my first post, I believe they don’t deserve a single cent of my money. From the above definition, nothing about getting EA classics for free stands contrary to that. Origin is not a paid-for service, either. It’s one forced down your throat.
I call you Sir Needs a Bloody Dictionary ASAP!
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:19
Oh no please. Forgive me. Taking free stuff from people you want to hate with all your might is well, okay I suppose. Good enough for the free stuff! You want my money? You can go and have sexual relations with a gonorrhoea infected hobo!
Mighty honorable of you.
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:24
You’re forgiven.
But let’s just point out I never said I hated EA. It’s kind of difficult for me to feel so strongly about an inanimate company of nameless, faceless, workers. I did say that I was “anti-EA” and didn’t want to “support” them. And I’m doing just that. I’m not supporting them. Which is my right as a consumer. And I’m taking free classics they have a monopoly on. Which is also my right. I never said I was “hono[u]rable” nor did I say I was better than those who did purchase games from EA. I just refuse to give them my money. That is how I choose to engage with this company as an individual consumer.
Until such time that you move to North Korea, please stop talking nonsense about people being hypocrites, or what is right and wrong in the way we engage with the open market. You know not of what you speak. Worse still, you have very little knowledge or expertise to back up anything you say. I won’t be told by some hack that I am not honourable or that what I do is hypocritical (especially when they have neither the evidence nor the wit to back it up).
Pariah
May 13, 2015 at 12:26
tl;dr
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:27
🙁
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:27
More like tl;cr becoz of my intohlektual failure…
Pariah
May 13, 2015 at 12:28
Now now, don’t mistake my short response for lack of intellectual ability.
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:28
He was talking about himself.
I.e. He wasn’t saying you lacked anything in the… intellectual department. 🙂
Pariah
May 13, 2015 at 12:29
That. Is valid. I should stop filling my mouth with food and pay more attention. Lol, ah well.
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:26
Hey. I thought you were going to stop correcting me. For Fuck Sakes man! Stop SAYING you are about to do something and just do that thing you said you were going to stop doing!
SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5
May 13, 2015 at 12:52
Lol!
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
May 13, 2015 at 12:16
Uhm … I have not touched a single Ubisoft game since my self imposed boycott. In fact I am starving to play child of light and Valiant hearts but I flat out refuse to buy them until Ubisoft cleans up their mess.
EA is not that bad really. People currently just hate them for historical reasons and the Sims. 😛
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:21
Uhhh… The Sims is actually half of the reasons I love EA…
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
May 13, 2015 at 12:22
I can’t ever joke about the sims before some comes in and wails on me. You guys are worse than Apple fanboys. 😛
Blood Emperor Trevor
May 13, 2015 at 12:22
That’s the only reason I picked EA over Ubi for a blanket ban, because Ubi still make smaller titles like that.
Kromas,powered by windows 10.
May 13, 2015 at 12:23
I am sorry but when you accept money to make the PC version of a game look worse than the PS version you have lost all my respect for many many many years.
And just as a matter of fact I would have boycotted Sony if I owned a PS.
Kensei Seraph
May 13, 2015 at 12:24
“Why hold back, go for a blanket ban on both.” comment incoming.
RinceTriss
May 13, 2015 at 12:36
Tehehehe
Hammersteyn
May 13, 2015 at 11:43
Maybe they’re planning a TMNT game?
Dutch-Trevor Matrix
May 13, 2015 at 12:06
Starring whatsherface’s rack?
Chule Gcanga
May 13, 2015 at 14:01
Very sad, Konami was one of my fav Devs… I almost cried when I heard about Kojima.. Much disappointment..