Konami Will No Longer Make AAA Games… Except PES

That means no Metal Gear or Silent Hill to come, despite Konami’s earlier statements suggesting the former will continue.

Following the news that Konami’s director of technical strategy, including its multi-platform Fox Engine., Julien Merceron, has left the company, it has been revealed that Konami will cease all AAA development efforts – except when it comes to Pro Evolution Soccer (PES).

Aside from Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 and the eventual launch of Metal Gear Online, Konami has no big releases planned for next year.

The Fox Engine was used to power both Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain and PES 2016.

There’s also no word on why Merceron has left, although rumours persist that it is related to Konami’s plans to shift away from consoles and focus on mobile games.

Recently, the company also announced that it would refocus its efforts on mobile gaming, much to the chagrin of fans of its franchises.

Website Eurogamer has said that its sources confirm these reports, while Konami itself is offering no comment. The reports follow news of Hideo Kojima’s departure from the publisher and the subsequent closure of his Kojima Productions studio, and a damning report from respected Japanese financial newspaper NIkkei, which claimed the company’s games division was “deteriorating”. EA Sports has the official Federation Internationale de Football Association license, which encompasses all the world’s major teams and leagues, while Konami has to acquire these on a team-by-team or league-by-league basis.