Konami is investigating the possibility of outsourcing several big name IPs to third-party developers.
That’s according to a new report published by the folks over at VGC, at least, which claims to have learned from sources that the Japanese company has had something of a change of heart internally, following a slew of disappointing in-house projects. Most notably, both Metal Gear Survive – essentially an asset flip of 2015’s The Phantom Pain and currently the only Metal Gear Solid title to have been released following series creator Hideo Kojima’s departure – and Contra: Rogue Corps failed to bring in the reception or sales desired, performances that have prompted a review of external involvement.
VGC’s sources also say that company bosses have largely been hesitant to outsource IP in the past, supposedly explaining why a proposed Silent Hill revival pitched by Until Dawn studio Supermassive Games was never given the go-ahead.
Back in the present day – where wild rumors that indie horror experts Bloober Team are working on a reboot of the latter have started circulating online – the concept of Konami working in conjunction with others to modernize its library of beloved properties doesn’t seem so far-fetched. As for who would be taking charge of, say, a potential new adventure in the Castlevania universe, we wouldn’t dare guess, though if such things truly do exist somewhere, it’s likely fans will be waiting some time still before anything official is announced.
That being the case, it’s likely that Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ long-awaited Metal Gear Solid movie – which recently confirmed that Oscar Isaac had signed on to play central protagonist Solid Snake – is still front of the queue as far as a Konami renaissance is concerned. For all the latest developments on that, see here.
