Companies

Konami

Konami is a developer and publisher.

Konami Webpage, Facebook

Most Popular Games Developed by Konami

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

September 1, 2015

Action

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

August 28, 2025

Action

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Pro Evolution Soccer 2013

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013

September 20, 2012

Sports

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014

Pro Evolution Soccer 2014

September 20, 2013

Sports

Pro Evolution Soccer 2014
Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2009

Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2009

October 17, 2008

Sports

Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1

October 24, 2023

Action

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. - better known simply as Konami - is a division of the Japanese holding company Konami Holdings Corporation, responsible for developing and publishing games for PC, consoles, and mobile devices. Founded in 1969, the company has since expanded its reach into arcade machines, slot machines, trading cards, live-action films, anime, and even fitness clubs. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan’s capital, and has been led by president Hideki Hayakawa since 2015.

Konami as a game developer

Konami began producing video games around the late 1970s and early 1980s. Initially, the company focused mainly on games for arcade machines, later expanding its lineup to include titles for personal computers, consoles, and handheld platforms. Today, Konami Digital Entertainment functions as a game developer through four main divisions spread across three continents. The company’s structure - which has evolved over the years - currently looks like this:

  1. Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. – Japanese branch, established in 2006,
  2. Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. – American branch, operating since 2003,
  3. Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH – European branch based in Germany, established in 2003,
  4. Konami Digital Entertainment Limited – Asian branch based in Hong Kong, operating since 2006.

Some of Konami’s most iconic franchises include the stealth-action series Metal Gear, the football franchise Pro Evolution Soccer (known in Japan as Winning Eleven), the survival horror Silent Hill, and the dark fantasy series Castlevania. Also worth mentioning are the Dance Dance Revolution rhythm game series, the Suikoden jRPG franchise, and the Yu-Gi-Oh! collectible card games, as well as the classic Contra, Gradius, and Frogger series - titles that date back to the golden age of arcade machines and, while no longer actively developed, have secured a lasting place in video game history.

A quirky piece of Konami lore is the Konami Code (or Konami Command) - a special button sequence that, when entered during gameplay, could trigger all sorts of effects, from granting powerful bonuses to causing unexpected surprises. The Konami Code made its debut in the 1986 Contra for the NES and, over the years, has appeared in numerous Konami games - and even in titles from other developers. The screenshot below shows the original Konami Code in action, though its exact input has varied over the years depending on the platform.

Konami as a game publisher

When Konami started producing video games, it also began publishing them. Over the years, like many major global developers and publishers, it has released a wide range of titles - not just its own creations, but also games made by external studios. In recent years, aside from a few entries in Konami's major franchises developed by external studios like Mercury Steam Entertainment, Other Ocean Interactive, PlatinumGames, and WayForward Technologies, such collaborations have been relatively rare. Among these, the iconic Crash platformer series stands out, which Konami produced in Japan between 2001 and 2006.

History of Konami

Prehistory - the times of MSX and NES

Konami was founded on March 21, 1969, in Osaka, Japan, by its current president, Kagemasa Kozuki. Its name comes from a combination of the surnames of three key figures in the company: Kagemasa Kozuki, Yoshinobu Nakama, and Tatsuo Miyasako. In its early years, Konami focused on renting and servicing popular jukeboxes. Four years later, in March 1973, the company - by then renamed Konami Industries Co., Ltd. - shifted its focus to arcade game machines. In its early years, the company focused solely on exporting this equipment to the United States and didn’t produce its first original machine until 1978. From that point on, Konami grew rapidly, achieving major success with games like Frogger, Scramble, and Super Cobra, which were frequently licensed to other companies such as Stern Electronics and Gremlin Industries.

In the early 1980s Konami relocated its headquarters to the Toyonaka district, where it also introduced its first widely recognized logo, which remained in use until 1986. In late 1982, Konami opened its first American branch - Konami of America, Inc., which is now known as Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. The company was originally based in Torrance, California, but over the years its headquarters moved several times: to Buffalo Grove, Illinois, in 1984; Redwood City, California, in 1988; and finally to El Segundo, California, in 2007. In 1982, Konami also started developing games for PCs, and a year later expanded to the now largely forgotten MSX computers. Meanwhile, it was on these machines in 1986–87 that some of Konami’s most iconic series made their debut: Metal Gear and Castlevania (the latter initially released on the MSX as Vampire Killer, featuring slightly different gameplay compared to the NES version).

In May 1984, Konami Ltd. (now Konami Digital Entertainment BV) was established in London, marking the company’s first European branch. In December of that same year, Konami GmbH (now Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH) was established in Germany. In the spring of 1985, the company started developing games for the NES (also known as the Famicom) and, in the following years, released several bestsellers for the platform. These included iconic series such as Gradius, Contra, and the already mentioned Castlevania and Metal Gear. To bypass Nintendo’s rule limiting third-party developers to only five NES releases per year, Konami established two subsidiary companies - Ultra Games and Palcom Software. Many of the titles released under these labels were, in fact, developed by Konami itself. The success of these games - as well as the console itself - fueled the company’s rapid growth at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, boosting its profits nearly thirtyfold.

The great success of Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid

In 1991, Konami Hyper Soccer was released, widely regarded as the precursor to the later Winning Eleven football series (known today as Pro Evolution Soccer). In May of the same year, Konami established the Technology Development Center in Kobe, and a month later, the parent company, Konami Industries Co., Ltd., was renamed Konami Co., Ltd. In mid-1992, the company opened new offices in Tokyo (where it would fully relocate seven years later), and by the end of that year, it had begun developing games for the SEGA Mega Drive console (known in the U.S. as the SEGA Genesis). In the second half of 1994, Konami opened another overseas branch in Hong Kong, now known as Konami Digital Entertainment Limited. In December, the company released its games for the Sony PlayStation console, and a few months later, for the SEGA Saturn. The second half of the 1990s was a time of major changes in the company’s organizational structure, during which many new branches were established - both in Japan and abroad (including Australia, China, Singapore, and the Netherlands). In 1999, Konami released the first installment of one of its most iconic series, the survival horror game Silent Hill, for Sony consoles.

At the start of the 21st century, Konami expanded into the fitness club industry - a venture that continues to be part of the company’s portfolio today. Through a partnership with Vivendi Games, Konami also took on publishing duties for the later installments of the popular platformer series, Crash. In August 2001, Konami acquired a stake in Hudson Soft, which was fully absorbed into the company four years later. In February 2002, Konami entered the Xbox gaming market, and just a few months later, it relocated to its new headquarters in Tokyo. The following year, Konami teamed up with Japanese film studio Toho Company, Ltd., resulting in its first original TV series, Chouseishin Series, a tokusatsu production - Japan’s popular genre featuring monsters, superheroes, giant robots, and more. The company’s rapid growth meant that by December 2005, Konami was ranked among Japan’s six largest game producers, alongside Nintendo, Square Enix, Capcom, SEGA, and Bandai Namco Entertainment.

Between 2005 and 2006, Konami set up several new branches, each dedicated to specific areas of the company’s operations. The transformation period concluded in Spring 2006 with the establishment of Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd., the holding company overseeing all subsidiaries involved in electronic entertainment. That same year, the Japanese company expanded into another market segment: pachinko machines, Japan’s version of popular slot machines. It also returned to the film industry by co-producing a movie adaptation of one of its most popular franchises - Silent Hill. In April 2007, Konami moved its main offices to Tokyo’s Minato district, while its smaller, less critical facilities were relocated to the city outskirts. At the turn of the 2000s, Konami was busy developing major franchises like Pro Evolution Soccer, Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and Castlevania, along with hits like Dance Dance Revolution and Yu-Gi-Oh!. Many of Konami’s games, along with their ports and remakes, have been released on Nintendo and Sony handheld consoles, as well as on the ever-growing mobile gaming market.

Metal Gear Solid 5 and a shift in priorities

In Spring 2015, Konami Digital Entertainment’s newly appointed president, Hideki Hayakawa, announced that the company would shift even more focus to mobile platforms, seeing them as the future of gaming. That same year, the holding company officially changed its commercial name from Konami Corporation to Konami Holdings Corporation. Also in 2015, the cancellation of the next installment of the Silent Hill series, simply titled Silent Hills which was meant to be a reboot of the franchise, sparked considerable controversy and left fans deeply disappointed. The project, which was teased with the playable demo P.T. and developed by Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima alongside director Guillermo del Toro and actor Norman Reedus, was ultimately canceled due to a dispute between Konami and Kojima. That same year, shortly after the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Hideo Kojima, one of Konami’s longtime pillars, left the company amid controversy and founded his own studio, Kojima Productions, taking with him the name of the team he had led from 2005 to 2015. In August 2016, Konami combined its arcade and slot machine divisions into a single entity, Konami Amusement Co., Ltd.

In the following years, Konami didn’t completely abandon large-scale video game development, but its focus shifted almost entirely to the Pro Evolution Soccer brand. Over time, the publisher started making efforts to refresh the series’ image. In 2019, eFootball PES 2020 was released, with the eFootball in its title signaling a stronger focus on the esports side of the game. In 2020, a free add-on called UEFA EURO 2020 was released for the game. eFootball PES 2021, on the other hand, wasn’t a full new game but a seasonal update to the previous year’s installment.

Meanwhile, Konami also released several other projects, with varying degrees of success. In 2017, Super Bomberman R launched on the Nintendo Switch, and a year later it made its way to other consoles and PCs. In addition, 2018 saw the release of Metal Gear Survive, a spin-off of the fifth installment of the iconic series that introduced distinct survival elements. That same year, Konami also began revisiting its classics, reminding players of the company’s rich legacy. Thanks to this initiative, players got to enjoy refreshed releases like Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner Mars and several compilation titles, including Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood, Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection, Castlevania Anniversary Collection, and Contra Anniversary Collection. In 2019, Konami revived two of its classic series - Frogger returned with the mobile game Frogger in Toy Town, while the Contra franchise made a comeback with the less favorably received Contra: Rogue Corps. In 2020, the iconic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night made its long-awaited debut on smartphones and tablets.

In 2021, fans received another Castlevania compilation - the Castlevania Advance Collection. A brand-new entry in the series also made its way to mobile devices - Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls. As for Pro Evolution Soccer, in July 2021 it was announced that the series would be rebranded as eFootball. Moreover, from that point on, the series was to go free-to-play. Gamers weren’t thrilled by this news - but worse was yet to come for Konami. eFootball 2022 launched on September 30 and was absolutely torn apart by fans, quickly becoming one of the lowest-rated games on Steam. The biggest complaints centered on the graphics, particularly the awful player models - which quickly turned into memes. Additionally, at launch, the game offered very little content and was riddled with technical issues, making the situation even worse. According to Metacritic, the game received an average score of 24/100. The Japanese publisher apologized to the community for the game's poor state and promised to fix it while adding new content.

A revival of Silent Hill: hope for longtime fans

In the meantime, there’s been a glimmer of hope for gamers nostalgic for Konami’s golden era. In June 2021, the Polish studio Bloober Team confirmed it had signed a partnership with the Japanese publisher to explore possibilities for joint content development. Many fans speculated that the Krakow-based studio, known over the years for its expertise in horror games, was working on a new installment of the Silent Hill series.

In October 2022, the publisher finally revealed some long-kept secrets, announcing as many as four new projects set in the Silent Hill universe. The first of these projects was a full-fledged remake of Silent Hill 2, developed by Bloober Team. Although the original creators closely oversaw the Polish developers’ work, they also praised them for their talent and the respect they showed for the source material. The release date hadn't been set just yet, but it soon became clear that the project - already three years in the making - was at an advanced stage of development.

We learned much less about the other productions at that time. Silent Hill: Ascension, co-developed by Genvid, Bad Robot Games, Behaviour Interactive and dj2 Entertainment was described as a "new form of entertainment" and a "social experiment" with a heavy online focus. Silent Hill: Townfall was being developed by No Code and set to be published by Annapurna Interactive. Silent Hill f by NeoBards Entertainment was to be the first Silent Hill game set in Japan. The final entry on the list was Silent Hill: The Short Message. At the time the other projects were announced, Konami had not officially confirmed its existence. Information about the plot - where players were to take on the role of a girl trapped in an abandoned building, facing her fears and lurking monsters — along with the first screenshots, came from a Taiwanese organization, The Taiwan Digital Game Rating Committee.

In March 2023, Konami officially announced a remake of another cult classic, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, developed in collaboration with the Virtuos studio. The remake was designed for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, featuring not only fully overhauled graphics but also modernized gameplay compared to the original.

The road to success: Silent Hill 2

Finally, in the latter half of 2023 and into 2024, it was time to see whether the Japanese publisher’s ambitious plans for the future would pay off. The first release was Silent Hill: Ascension on October 31, 2023, but it failed to win over players. On February 1, 2024, Silent Hill: The Short Message launched on PlayStation 5 as a free-to-play psychological horror game. Unfortunately, like its predecessor, it struggled with reception, earning Metacritic scores in the 5–6/10 range.

Released in March 2024, Contra: Operation Galuga - a remake of the 1987 cult classic Contra - performed noticeably better than recent Silent Hill entries. Developed by WayForward, the game received “very positive” reviews on Steam, with industry scores averaging 70–76/100 across platforms, according to Metacritic.

Following the release of Contra: Operation Galuga, Konami and Bloober Team began laying the groundwork in earnest for the launch of Silent Hill 2. The game was scheduled to release on PC and PlayStation 5 on October 8, 2024. It was also revealed three weeks prior that it would remain a PlayStation 5 console exclusive until at least October 10, 2025.

Silent Hill 2 launched as scheduled, receiving strong reviews, with Metacritic scores averaging between 86 and 87 out of 100, depending on the platform. Players were even more enthusiastic, with Steam showing "overwhelmingly positive" reviews for the game. The game also proved highly popular, drawing more than 23,500 concurrent players on Steam on its release day.

Konami was clearly satisfied with its collaboration with Bloober Team. In February 2025, it was announced that the collaboration would continue for Bloober Team’s next project. The mysterious Project G was set for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and would be based on one of Konami’s existing franchises.

Developed Games

List of all released games developed by Konami.

Upcoming Games

List of all upcoming games that will be published by Konami.

Released Games

List of all released games published by Konami.

Konami News

Leaks confirmed! Silent Hill 2 Remake with a quiet release on Xbox. The game is available at lower price

Leaks confirmed! Silent Hill 2 Remake with a quiet release on Xbox. The game is available at lower price

Silent Hill 2 Remake is now available for purchase on Xbox Series X/S. Konami confirmed that, in addition to the already announced games, they plan on developing the series.

video games

November 21, 2025

Leaks confirmed! Silent Hill 2 Remake with a quiet release on Xbox. The game is available at lower price
Release date for Silent Hill 2 Remake on a new platform has leaked. Coincidentally, it was revealed by Microsoft itself

Release date for Silent Hill 2 Remake on a new platform has leaked. Coincidentally, it was revealed by Microsoft itself

Bloober Team may be preparing the debut of Silent Hill 2 Remake not on one, but on two more platforms.

video games

November 9, 2025

Release date for Silent Hill 2 Remake on a new platform has leaked. Coincidentally, it was revealed by Microsoft itself
PS Plus Game Catalog additions for October includes the perfect horror remake and more great games for the season

PS Plus Game Catalog additions for October includes the perfect horror remake and more great games for the season

Next week, eight new games will be added to the PS Plus game catalog. Half of them are perfect for this October, bringing great horror games to the service.

video games

October 15, 2025

PS Plus Game Catalog additions for October includes the perfect horror remake and more great games for the season
Huge surprise for PS Plus subscribers. A remake from 2024 is to be added to the offer

Huge surprise for PS Plus subscribers. A remake from 2024 is to be added to the offer

Reliable leaks suggest that the Silent Hill remake from Bloober Team will soon join the PS Plus Extra offer.

video games

October 8, 2025

Huge surprise for PS Plus subscribers. A remake from 2024 is to be added to the offer
Who is Kotoyuki in Silent Hill f? The ‘fox guy’ mystery solved

Who is Kotoyuki in Silent Hill f? The ‘fox guy’ mystery solved

Fox Mask is a mysterious character that helps you in Silent Hill f. But who is he really? Let’s answer this question.

How to

September 25, 2025

Who is Kotoyuki in Silent Hill f? The ‘fox guy’ mystery solved
How to solve the first puzzle in Silent Hill f. Story, Hard and Lost in the Fog difficulty levels

How to solve the first puzzle in Silent Hill f. Story, Hard and Lost in the Fog difficulty levels

Is the first puzzle in Silent Hill f problematic for you? Here you will find solutions for Story, Hard and Lost in the Fog diffculties.

How to

September 25, 2025

How to solve the first puzzle in Silent Hill f. Story, Hard and Lost in the Fog difficulty levels
How to fix Silent Hill f crash. It is a common problem

How to fix Silent Hill f crash. It is a common problem

It seems that a large number of players have problems with crashes in Silent Hill f. However, the biggest group is among RTX 5090 owners.

How to

September 23, 2025

How to fix Silent Hill f crash. It is a common problem
First reviews of Silent Hill f. It's a great survival horror game, and one of the best games of 2025

First reviews of Silent Hill f. It's a great survival horror game, and one of the best games of 2025

The first reviews of Silent Hill f are online. The new installment of the popular survival horror series is getting high scores, and one of the most praised elements is the engaging story.

video games

September 22, 2025

First reviews of Silent Hill f. It's a great survival horror game, and one of the best games of 2025
New on Steam. Most important horror game of the year and the great hope of fantasy turn-based titles

New on Steam. Most important horror game of the year and the great hope of fantasy turn-based titles

This week on Steam will see the release of such games as Silent Hill f, Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Baby Steps, EA Sports FC 26, Aztecs: The Last Sun, Lost Rift, and 1.0 versions of the games Hades II and Slime Rancher 2.

video games

September 22, 2025

New on Steam. Most important horror game of the year and the great hope of fantasy turn-based titles
This game revolutionized horror without ever being released. If not for it, the genre would look very different today

This game revolutionized horror without ever being released. If not for it, the genre would look very different today

Hideo Kojima had an idea for a horror game that was to make a lasting mark not only on the Silent Hill series but also on the entire genre. Although Silent Hills was eventually canceled, it managed to significantly change the industry landscape.

video games

September 21, 2025

This game revolutionized horror without ever being released. If not for it, the genre would look very different today