text: Konami On Motion-Control Gaming
  CMO Network Aug 26, 2010 @ 06:50 PM
  With a game console motion-control revolution on the horizon and the emergence of social games, it's undeniable that the videogame world is changing, but Tokyo-based game developer and publisher Konami is changing with it. Founded in 1969 as a jukebox rental and repair business, Konami today is one of the biggest names in the videogame industry, known for popular franchises like "Dance Dance Revolution," "Contra," "Metal Gear Solid" and "Castlevania." The company is gearing up to release games for Sony 's and Microsoft 's upcoming Move and Kinect peripherals, and has begun development on games for social media platforms like Facebook.
  At a New York event showcasing some of Konami's upcoming offerings, Forbes sat down with the company's digital entertainment president, Shinji Hirano, to talk about motion-controlled gaming, the rhythm game revolution and the challenge of creating and maintaining popular franchises.
  How hard is it today to get gamers excited about new franchises?
  It's pretty hard. Even maintaining core franchises is very challenging right now. What Konami has tried to do is maintain our core franchises. ... We have "Metal Gear Solid," "Castlevania" and "Silent Hill," but we are trying to be open to other titles.
  What is Konami's opinion on digital distribution?
  It's happening much faster than I thought, but we have to prepare for the downloadable business. That's why we started releasing more downloadable titles this year than last year.
  What are your opinions on upcoming motion-control gaming consoles? Do you have any concerns?
  Microsoft and Sony did a pretty good job, especially Kinect, in bringing in a totally new experience. It's pretty good for the industry, but at this moment I don't know why they're being brought in at the same time. People cannot buy the two peripherals at the same time, especially now, when people are pretty price-sensitive.
  Do you think motion-controlled gaming lends itself to less casual games?
  It's a challenge, but I think it's necessary. From my point of view Microsoft tried to use the Kinect as a way to bring more families to the Xbox. But there are tons of core gamers who like 360 that may start enjoying Kinect. I think Konami is always open to that.
  To recoup lost money from sales of used games, publishers have begun including codes on the back of games that must be entered before accessing online features. Is this something we can expect to see from Konami?
  Yes. Used games are always a headache. But [also] if people like to buy the cheaper game, we have to sell a cheaper game. Previously we haven't thought about this. We tried to sell the product as high as possible, but we have to change our minds.