Rumor: Konami cancels PS3 Gradius, several others [update 1]
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Jan 11th 2007 at 6:00AM }
If the latest issue of Japan's Famitsu magazine is to be believed, Konami has quietly cancelled several of their upcoming PS3 and Wii projects. IGN reports that an updated release list for the company has been shortened by no less than six games, one of which was a Playstation 3 version of side-scrolling shooter, Gradius. Of course, since mere absence doesn't confirm outright cancellation, it would be best to treat this as a rumor for now. One potential explanation is that Konami has now made enough progress on some of these titles (if they were even in development to begin with) to warrant less ambiguous descriptors. If "New Action Game" turned into Castlevania: Polka of Purgatory, the publisher would likely choose a grander announcement than simply having it pop up on a standard release list.
The removed titles are as follows:
- Gradius Series (PS3)
- Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball (PS3)
- New Action Game (PS3)
- New Role Playing Game (PS3)
- New Action Adventure Game 2 (Wii)
- Role Playing Game (Wii)
[Update: This rumor is bogus.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
unimental @ Jan 11th 2007 7:10AM
Dang. "New Action Game" was a title that could have swayed me into purchasing a PS3.
KawF @ Jan 11th 2007 7:27AM
This is an obvious sign of that the PS3 is utterly failing! Loosing two major new titles such as "New Action Game" and "New Role Playing Game", well, that's simply a deal breaker!
The Wii-titles noone wanted anyway, so let's just be glad we didn't have to even bother with ignoring them on the store-shelves. There's so many better ones out already, like Zelda. And Zelda.
*** Spoiler: this is sarcasm.
RS @ Jan 11th 2007 7:43AM
Graduis didn't fit into PS3 'ten year plan'.
Konami: I know this sounds lame, but it's me not you.
Sony: Oh, ok then.
Konami: Nah, it's you.
pixelbox @ Jan 11th 2007 8:09AM
MSG4 must be costing them boatloads... (And they're not sure they'll get that money back.)
samik @ Jan 11th 2007 8:09AM
They wanted to work on "old action game", "old racing game", "old GTA game" and "old killswitch game with repetitive game mechanism" but MS had already booked these for halo 3, PGR 3, saints row and gears. Unfortunately PS3 fans will have to do with "new offroad racing game", "new airborne dragon fighting game", "new swordplay game", etc, all with great new gameplay and physics. Also PS3 will have "new MGS game" and "new FF game" which still sell far more copies than the lame 360 copies.
IslandLife @ Jan 11th 2007 8:30AM
@ KawF
Awww man that's funny! Good thing you put up the disclaimer. You know how the fanboys love to hide in the bushes, waiting to pounce on some poor, unsuspecting commentor.
Ignatius @ Jan 11th 2007 8:35AM
@samik "Also PS3 will have "new MGS game" and "new FF game" which still sell far more copies than the lame 360 copies."
To sell over a couple million copies, you're going to have to sell a couple million PS3s. There's only one million SHIPPED at the moment, so... why would owners by more than one copy?
Lorben @ Jan 11th 2007 8:57AM
Any idea what the Konami RPG for Wii would have been? When I thinnk of a Konami RPG I think of Suikoden, and a new Suikoden game would have made a lot of people I know very happy.
x876543 @ Jan 11th 2007 8:57AM
Ok, I'm going to be objective. I have a Wii, my best friend has a PS3 (we are each fanboys of our respective consoles). I've gone to his place to play PS3, and I got to say, it's impressive graphics, the gameplay (like Wii) will take a few game iterations to perfect the control scheme. The load times aren't that bad (on RFOM) but a little annoying.
The Wii, is fun to play, but the wow factor of motion control is gone after a month, then it's becomes "This is fun." He hasn't tried the Wii and is skeptical about the controls. I'm kinda let down about the graphics, but I never really cared for "shiny" in my games, just fun, but the PS3 graphics made me take a second take. The control felt weird, but maybe it's cause I played too much Wii. I'm still on the fence about PS3 or 360, which to get next. I want to see online games for both before I go out and buy one later this year.
Replay value of the games is equal for both consoles. I can see how devs might be turning away from PS3 and the Wii. Sometimes it's not easy to think a new way for controller schemes that aren't what you have had for almost ever (Wii). If the game doesn't sell because the control scheme sucks, it's a huge loss in investment. Spending more money on graphics development for the "shiny" effect might turn into a loss unless you have a sure-fire win of a game that will sell well (PS3).
Each console has it's pluses and minuses. I really suggest that you try the consoles before you blast them. I have yet to try the 360. Gears looks really interesting and so did Dead Rising.
My current thinking:
Wii - Fun, graphics aren't that great, needs more games.
PS3 - Nice graphics, load times a little slow, needs more games.
360 - UNKNOWN, graphics look ok, huge library of games.
PS. I'm not even going to talk about VC or Download games. I'm not into that.
Farooq @ Jan 11th 2007 8:57AM
maybe they're being bought out by Microsoft :)
FrankTheCrank @ Jan 11th 2007 9:03AM
YIKES!!!
The sky is falling!!!
The sky is falling!!!
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
Oobgarm @ Jan 11th 2007 11:35AM
Sad to see a Gradius game get bumped off. Let's hope it is resurrected at some point in the future, regardless of system.
pootiepoot @ Jan 11th 2007 9:33AM
"so... why would owners by more than one copy?"
Because v2 will have a bigger hard-drive and HDMI support? :P
pe @ Jan 11th 2007 9:19AM
Powerfull Pro Baseball was a big seller on the PS2 in japan. The last Gradius was made by Treasure and we know they're making a shooter for that isn't RS3 hmmm.....
Other than that it sounds like new ips that got canned. So nothing huge, although I wouldn't discount powerful pro basebal it sold good numbers every time, they sure love their baseball.
Rich @ Jan 11th 2007 9:22AM
I think its funny that Joystiq forgets to mention that there were Wii titles that got the axe too....
http://ps3.qj.net/Konami-axes-PS3-and-Wii-titles/pg/49/aid/78831
Blazur @ Jan 11th 2007 9:34AM
Is that Taps I hear playing in the background?
hohoho @ Jan 12th 2007 1:50AM
rich,
sony is an easy target these days. You might have the present blaming the ps3 for the current debacle in iraq. But wii? naaaah. it's just a lovely charming little thingie that makes you go aaaahhh..... (when you see a little puppy making that puppy face at you)
pixelbox @ Jan 11th 2007 10:26AM
Hey Rich, read the article. They almost certainly did mention the Wii games.
Guess reading has become too difficult these days.
Uh_Oh @ Jan 11th 2007 9:53AM
They canceled ps3 titles because they knew they wouldn't sell well on the platform, no big install base.
mystyk23 @ Jan 11th 2007 10:26AM
I heard a RUMOR that gullible people see RUMOR and to them it's the gospel.
I heard a RUMOR that Joystiq was shutting down.
IS it? Probably not, but some of you will believe it anyway.
Jonah Falcon @ Jan 11th 2007 10:23AM
Just a thought - the fact they could be cancelled/delayed is that they assigned some of those teams towards developing the Xbox 360 version of Metal Gear Solid 4?
Jonah Falcon @ Jan 11th 2007 10:23AM
More on that theory: It makes sense more and more. Konami may have moved resources to work on Metal Gear Solid 4 for the Xbox 360, and can't announce it due to the agreement with Sony. It would explain why there's 7 less games and no *APPARENT* new projects.
Do you seriously think Konami is in trouble, because cancelling 7 titles and not announcing any new ones wouldn't necessarily mean SONY is in trouble, especially since 2 of those games are Wii games.
They'd have to replace them with something they feel is going to surpass their sales, but will require a lot of manpower to develop. Yet something THAT big would be something Konami would trumpet, right?
Except they CAN'T trumpet it due to legal seasons.
crono141 @ Jan 11th 2007 10:50AM
I think all of you are not thinking here. You should read the article not just the headline.
Joystiq probably has it right when "new action game" gets dropped from the list, it probably indicates an upcoming announcement, not a cancelation. The fact that several games on both consoles got dropped supports this, as work (if any) would have matured to a point where they could unveil SOMETHING.
However, if no announcement is forthcoming in the next few weeks, we can probably say goodbuy to these titles.
Quick1 @ Jan 11th 2007 10:44AM
"13. I think its funny that Joystiq forgets to mention that there were Wii titles that got the axe too...."
Except for the fact that it's mentioned in the first sentence.
Quick1 @ Jan 11th 2007 10:44AM
"13. I think its funny that Joystiq forgets to mention that there were Wii titles that got the axe too...."
Did you somehow not read the first sentence of the article? Has your fanboyism blinded you to the English language?
DC @ Jan 11th 2007 11:00AM
Yes, but I think it is indicative of Joystiq's non-objectivity that they put "PS3" in the headline, but not "Wii."
(FWIW, I have an XBox360 & a PS3 and I'm hoping they both do well over the long run. I'd have a Wii too if Nintendo could manage to get any into stores.)
Quick1 @ Jan 11th 2007 11:27AM
Yes, but I think it is indicative of Joystiq's non-objectivity that they put "PS3" in the headline, but not "Wii."
Gradius was for the PS3. It was the biggest name on the list, hence, it makes sense to put Gradius in the headline, and the console it was being made for.
OMG BIAS! This has become like reading Freerepublic here, with the complaints about bias.
Jesus, do you seriously think anyone is going to change their minds about their purchase if the word "Wii" had made it into the headline of some non major-media website?
trent @ Jan 11th 2007 3:00PM
/cry
gradius.... i love you.
Christian @ Jan 11th 2007 5:07PM
I thought this when they first announced this, but as Jonah Falcon @ 18 stated, they are probably needing to pull developers from other projects in order to have the necessary resources to create MGS4 for the Xbox 360.
As anyone in business knows, if there is a greater market for a different product, then you would be best financially to sell for the greater market. As it is right now, the Xbox 360 has a major install base for the next-generation consoles and since Sony can't guarantee great sales of the PS3, Konami will have to move MGS4 to the Xbox 360 in order to stay profitable as a business.
MGS4 has cost a great deal of money to produce and will need to be more than just a hot seller in order to regain the losses. As noted by the media a while back, normal developers will have to sell at least "500,000 copies before the developer can turn any profit" since "games cost an average of $8.6 million to create" for the PS3 (http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/533.html).
Since MGS4 has been in development for at least 2-3 years compared to many of the PS3 titles out now, which were developed for only 1-2 years, Konami will have to sell more than 500,000 (I would estimate at least 1.5 million) in order to profit. However, there are around 1 to 1.5 million PS3's out there, so that would mean that everyone with a PS3 would have to buy MGS4 for Konami to break even with losses.
Also, Sony's PS3 isn't exactly flying off of the shelves probably because of the price, competition, and a lack of AAA titles such as MGS4. As such, a company that has poured as many resources into software cannot afford to gamble on the fact that demand for the PS3 will suddenly pick-up in time for there to be a great enough install base for the software to sell into profit.
Thus, their wisest choice would be to use the existing games assets and create MGS4 for the Xbox360. That is unless Sony were to offer them an exclusive deal involved with great amounts of cash; however, Sony is running low on cash:
"In October, Sony reported a 94 percent drop in profits for its third quarter, largely because of a global recall of faulty laptop batteries and losses in its gaming division related to the PlayStation 3 rollout." (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/298904_ces09.html?source=rss)
Due to this decrease in profits, they will not be able to easily throw money at so many different developers in order to keep software exclusive as this would be devastating to Sony.
Therefore, Sony will probably have timed-exclusivity with MGS4 (probably in part due to Konami's loyalty to Sony and due to time to finish development of this software for the Xbox 360). Thus, I find it inevitable that MGS4 will come to the Xbox360 and it would not surprise me if it has already been in development for the Xbox 360 during these past few months.
But in the end, "time will tell. Sooner or later, time will tell..." ("Einstein" from Red Alert =)
GiovanniMcAdoo @ Jan 11th 2007 7:51PM
To #28 Christian
Youd o realize that the release date for Metal Gear Solid 4 is set for Q4. Which mean SONY could have around 6 to 8 million consoles out by then? Not to mention Final Fantasy XIII comes out before which is a system seller.