The recent news thatKonamiwas undergoing restructuring efforts led many to jump to the conclusion thatit was exiting games development entirely. That turned out to be completely false and Konami later clarified that said efforts were part of a plan to make game development more efficient. What’s more, new information pretty much confirms that, despite calls for Konami to sell its IPs, it has no reason to.
According toKonami’s latest earnings release, while it did suffer a drop of 0.6% in revenue, the nine months ending on June 03, 2025 saw a 33.1% growth in total revenue and 75.3% growth in profit, something Konami calls record-breaking. This is primarily thanks to its Digital Entertainment business, which includes console, mobile, and card games and is in direct contrast to many of its other businesses (like casino gaming and sports clubs) which have suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Konami specifically mentions the likes of mobile gameYu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links(which Konami has supported since it released in 2016) andPro Evolution Socceras particular major contributors. Even the Japan-exclusiveMomotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa Mo Teiban!, the latest entry in the digital board game series, sold more than one and a half million units by December 31. As of January 2021, that number has increased to over two and a half million.
While Konami already has some new game projects in development, likeYu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duelfor the Nintendo Switch, many hope that the company’s comments on more efficient development and these strong earnings mean Konami will return to more regular console development. One of the main reasons why there are many who want other companies to acquire Konami’s IPs, primarily ones likeMetal Gear,Silent Hill, andCastlevania, is because Konami itself isn’t really doing anything with them at the moment.
There have beenvery insistent rumors of a newSilent Hillin the works for the PlayStation 5 throughout 2020, but Konami has denied these rumors. There has also been debate about where Konami will make any newMetal Geargames, since series creator Hideo Kojima has long since left the company andMetal Gear Survive, the first game made after his departure, was a commercial failure and received a mixed reception from critics.
However, with Konami’s games division performing so strongly while its other businesses struggle, the company is hardly under any financial pressure. While some fans may be convinced that Konami’s IPs would prosper under a different company, Konami itself has no reason to give them away and would possibly only do so if it was in dire straits, something it’s clearly nowhere close to being.
