SCIENCE AND EDUCATION
Konami president: Android, Windows phones `not good enough` for games
Baku, November 20 (AZERTAC). Konami is aiming to make its games available on every platform, especially on phones, and to let those games network together.
But for now, President Shinji Hirano is waiting for Google and Microsoft to improve their smartphone platforms before Konami devotes significant resources into development for them.
The Japanese game company is one of the top developers and publishers of console games. Konami puts out the international hit "Pro Evolution Soccer" annually and nurtures popular franchises such as "Contra," "Metal Gear" and "Silent Hill."
Konami is in the midst of shifting its strategy, as is the case with many other big-budget game studios. A crucial part of that plan involves cranking out simpler games that can be played on phones and websites, often for free.
A year ago, Electronic Arts acquired Playfish, which makes free social games. This year Disney bought Playdom, a similar game developer.
Adding social networking features to Konami`s games is "the first step that we have to go in," Hirano told CNN last week. "And it`s going to be big."
"I think people`s demands are changing," Hirano said. "Social networks like Facebook bring users to expect more communication through the product."
That trend has been happening for some time in Japan, and Konami has already begun deploying it here in the U.S.