[UPDATE: Despite initial confirmation, Konami has now announced that it won’t present at E3 due to timing. However, it has assured fans that the company is in “deep development on a number of key projects.” Original story follows.]
In recent years, Konami hasn’t been on the greatest terms with its fans. Around the time Kojima left, it became rather apparent that the Japanese company had fallen out of love with its video game branch.Silent Hill,Castlevania, andContrafans had been dealing with long absences for several years, but after the launch ofMetal Gear Solid 5and the delisting ofPT, it became apparent that Konami was not as invested in the game industry any more. It continued to put out the occasional title and itsgaming division has seen successdespite its underwhelming state, but it seemed like the storied publisher’s time in the spotlight was over.
But suddenly, just in the past few days, Konami’s iconic franchises are back on the table.E3 2021came out with an initial list of exhibitors for its digital June event, and to the surprise of many, Konami was on that list. It seems that the company intends to get back into gaming in some fashion, and that most likely involves resurrecting one or more of its classic IPs. It is spoiled for choice in that regard, and rumors have been circulating for the past year about various properties already. A close examination of the properties most with the biggest groundswell may provide some answers to what fans will see in a couple months. Overall, though, Konami is the wild card of wild cards for E3 2021, so fans should keep all expectations in check.
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Metal Gear
Much of the rumors surrounding Konami’s many properties involve outsourcing them to other companies. According to recent reports, these projects are still years out, but they are in development. The most mysterious of these isMetal Gear Solid, as the true nature of its next entry has been inundated with rumors and fan theories. The most credible of these states thatBluepoint Games is working on aMetal Gear Solidremakefor PS5, which could go over very well given its track record with Sony first-party remakes.
This project may be too far out to receive a firm announcement yet, and it’s in Sony’s best interest to use its influence over Bluepoint to get the announcement at a State of Play instead of E3 (especially since Sony won’t be there). Thecurrent status of theMetal Gearfilmis also up in the air, though that’s been the norm ever since it was conceived. It isn’t likely that news on a film will be divulged at E3 in particular.
Castlevania
Next isCastlevania, which many believeanotherCastlevaniafrom a third-party studiois on its way. With the success of theCastlevaniaNetflix show, it makes sense that Konami wants to keep the franchise alive. What makes somewhat less sense is the total lack of rumors concerning anyCastlevaniagame projects. However, there have been no prominent theories or hints as to what a newCastlevaniawould entail, or which studio would be developing it.
There are a few likelystudios that could be developing a newCastlevania. Artplay is still working to implement the last few promised features inBloodstained: Ritual of the Night, so a whole new project on its hands may be off the table. Still, if there was anyone to tap for aCastlevania, Konami could do worse than one of its founding fathers. MercurySteam, developer of theCastlevania: Lords of Shadowtrilogy, seems to be more free at the moment, but there’s no guarantee here. Fans will have to wait and see whatCastlevania’s fate may be.
Silent Hill
Last, but certainly not least, isSilent Hill. The chances of seeing a newSilent Hillproject at E3 2021 are much higher than those ofMetal GearandCastlevaniadue to the nature of rumors concerning the horror franchise. Allegedly, multipleSilent Hillprojects from different studiosare in concurrent development. The likeliest culprit for developing a new installment is Bloober Team. The narrative horror developer just finished work onThe Medium, which featured some music composed by legendarySilent Hillcomposer Akira Yamaoka. A pulled-down interview with him hinting about a future project related to his past work makes this dream team’s descent intoSilent Hillfeel very likely.
Another prominent rumor is thatKojima Productions is getting the chanceto return to developing the cancelledSilent Hills. It has become well-accepted that Hideo Kojima is working on a horror game afterDeath Stranding, though there are no solid details on what this could entail besides Junji Ito being a potential collaborator. Fans should take this with a MAJOR grain of salt, though, as the very public falling out between Kojima and Konami doesn’t feel like something that’ll ever be resolved.
Regardless, the chances of at least one newSilent Hillbeing revealed at E3 2021 seem very high, and fans will no doubt be overjoyed to see the historic horror franchise return.
E3 2021will take place digitally on June 12-15.
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